


A Future Shrouded In Darkness

by Mechamobzilla



Series: Future Imperfect [2]
Category: Godzilla (2014), Godzilla: King of The Monsters (2019)
Genre: Post-Godzilla: King of The Monsters (2019), Post: A Future Born From The Storm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2020-10-27 23:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20769071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mechamobzilla/pseuds/Mechamobzilla
Summary: **This work is a sequel to A Future Born From The Storm. It contains spoilers and material pertaining to that work, as well as Godzilla: King of the Monsters**Almost a year after Las Vegas, Monarch is on the fringes of ruin, and Mark is struggling to right the ship, as well as restore his relationship with his daughter, Madison. Meanwhile, Godzilla faces a powerful new foe, who threatens to destroy all life on Earth. Monarch must rally once more to aid Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan to prevent the ultimate cataclysm.





	1. Genesis

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is, ladies and gentlemen. I present the first chapter in A Future Shrouded In Darkness. If you have not read my previous work, my hope is that you go and read it right now. You really need too. 
> 
> I will be writing my chapters and posting them at semi-consistent intervals. I have a road map and I know where I am going with this story.

Deep beneath the Atlantic, far below the ocean floor, he rested. His home was changed, destroyed by the humans in their effort to give him strength. He wasn't too happy about that, but it didn't matter. His home was still home, even if it was different. It provided him with access to much of the world. It was important. 

So he stayed, and rested. Far above, Mothra and Rodan were keeping things in order. He didn't hear much fighting or any sort of disturbance, so that must have meant that they were doing well, right? Better than the humans could do. 

Humans… he hated what they did to him. He had Ghidorah on the ropes, drowning. He even tore one of its heads off. But then they hit him with another bomb. This one was different though. It hurt him, sucked the breath out of his lungs, killed the sea around him.

Ghidorah got away, and nearly ruined the order. Humanity may have saved him, but in his mind, they weren't nearly done atoning for it. 

Far above, he heard it. A call. It was angry, and he hadn't heard it in many eons. Another new awakening. 

Godzilla rose from his resting place, and waded out of the air pocket, into the water. As he left his lair, he vowed to never let humanity stray to far from their course. They had a place, and like the Titans, they needed to know it.

\----------

Doctor Valentina Pavlov sighed. 

Then she sighed again. 

The reason was simple: another clean sample. 

Outpost 95 was Monarch's newest facility. Built after the Battle of Boston, Outpost 95 was tasked with monitoring the continued volcanic activity at Isla De Mara, collecting samples from the Oxygen Destroyer detonation, and monitoring the Hollow Earth beneath their location. However, their quest to collect samples had gone a little south. 

The earlier samples yielded excellent samples. First, microscopic lifeforms, noticeable oxygenation… hopeful stuff. But as time went on, the lifeforms changed. The small microscopic crustacean life that was the minority became the majority. Then they were the only life. Finally, only a few, noticeably larger ones remained. They were no larger than a flea, and floated aimlessly. 

Valentina was irritated by the lack of progress since then. No life of any kind. Not even more of the crustaceans. The Outpost had hit a roadblock. What complicated matters more was the increasing pressure on Monarch financially. Outpost 56 was permanently decommissioned. They couldn't restore it and Rodan hadn't returned to Isla De Mara since waking up. Stone Mountain and Angkor Wat had also been on the chopping block. 

Basically, they had cut enough to generate a small profit from the shortlist of donors. Organizations from all sides politically, monetarily, and ideologically had poured in donations. But no government would back Monarch, and donors were confidence based. They could pull their funds at any moment. 

Valentina sighed and wrote down the current status of the sample in front of her. Picking up her pencil, she set to work.

Moments later, a colossal shriek sounded through the halls. A shake followed, and then another shriek.

"We're under attack!" She heard someone say. "Get to the lifeboats! Go! Go! Go!"

No one needed to tell her twice. Valentina picked up her personal bag and ran for the door, exiting into a crowd of people. The hall was bustling with scientists and security personnel running towards the stairs. The elevators were blinking, out of service. As they rushed passed a window, Valentina caught a glimpse of a large form moving in the water around them. They were three stories below the surface, and it did not sound like Godzilla. 

Another shriek sounded, and metal crumpled under tremendous force as the facility seemed to list. Several sprays erupted in the walls around them, indicating a major hull breach was imminent. Valentina felt her survival instincts kick in, and made it her personal mission to reach the surface. 

\----------

Breaking out of the Hollow Earth's grasp, Godzilla began to swim towards the sounds of chaos. The high shrieks of the offender, and if he listened closely, the sounds of metal bending. It was a Titan attacking humans, and he planned to put a stop to it. He picked up his pace, powerful tail swimming side to side as he propelled himself onward. 

\----------

Valentina reached the top deck, with blue skies and a vibrant Sun beating down on the deck. If it weren't for the Titan attacking, you'd think it was a party. She looked for a lifeboat, swiveling her head as she searched for an escape. Several lifeboats were nearly full, with security forces trying to keep order as scientists and maintenance crews fought to get to safety. 

Another shriek made everybody freeze. A boom and shaking followed. Then, the water broke, and out from the waves emerged a titanic orange claw. It strongly resembled the claws one would see on a crab, or a lobster. The rest of the Titans hulking form followed, confirming Valentina's suspicions. The body was covered in an orange shell, with spikes protruding from the top. Two beady eyes extended from its head, where a long piercing spike was protruding from its face. It shrieked again, mandibles opening up to release the piercing sound. 

As it raised its massive claw to strike, it opened its maw to shriek again. However, a much different roar sounded. It was deeper, and reverberated in the bones of everyone on the platform. It must've done the same to the Crab, because it lowered its claw and waded backwards, away from the platform. It searched, eyes turning and scanning the waves. 

Valentina saw it before the crustacean ever did.

A large, dark form broke the waves behind the Crab, tackling it forwards into the water. As they went under the waves, Valentina spotted the familiar shapes on the newcomers back. It was three rows of long scutes, running to the end of its tail.

Godzilla had arrived, and he wasn't happy.

\----------

As the water above them calmed, Godzilla waged war with the foe he had brought down. The creature was armored. Heavily. It bore a long, powerful tail which it used like a flipper, allowing it to move around with speed like Godzilla's. However, its armor was heavy, and without conscious effort, it appeared to sink.

Godzilla knew what to do. 

He charged the crustacean and grabbed its tail, swimming full speed downward. As the first ocean ridge approached, Godzilla swam towards it, and around it. The tail strained against the torque Godzilla was putting on it, and the creature smashed into the ridge. Stunned, it could not stop Godzilla from slamming it into the sea floor, and prying the tail upward, farther than it could go normally.

The tail tore, and was held on only by flesh and armor. With its tail immobilized, Godzilla deemed the creature no longer a threat, and left it on the bottom of the ocean. He didn't need to kill it, and it was to mindless to really have a place in the hierarchy. So leaving it there was his best option. As he swam up and away, he cast a glance to the human base above, and had a feeling something bad was coming.

\----------

Inside of Outpost 95, a glass container was busted open. Exposed to the water, its contents, small, precambrian crustaceans, swam out. They followed the current back to a hull breach, and quickly escaped into the open sea, staying close as they did. They hungered for food, and the ocean was full of it.

The world, was full of it.

\----------

On the surface, Valentina was in awe of what had transpired. Help was on the way, thankfully. But the damage was done. Outpost 95 would likely be closed, and it's research moved to other locations. She prayed that the Crab was gone, and she prayed that they would escape.

If only they knew the evil that brewed beneath the waves.

\----------

"You think it'll affect the meeting?"

"Yeah, I do. The suits get really antsy when a multi billion dollar research base goes under. Especially from a Titan we don't even have a name for."

"We do."

"Really? What did the locals call it? Red Lobster? Crab Fest?"

"Rick, can it. Go ahead, Chen."

"They called it Ebriah, The Horror of the Deep. A polar opposite to Rodan. A God of pure malice, whereas Rodan brought fire and rebirth."

"Catchy name."

"I still prefer Crab Fest."

"Rick, sh-"

"Sorry to interrupt guys… I just got a call from Stenz."

"And?"

"That thing wasn't the only new Titan. Another one just cropped up."

"Thanks Sam. Okay…. Here's what we'll do. Rick, get me Ebirah's bioacoustics. Log them. Chen, get me a name on the new Titan, correlate it to local legend and find me a weakness. Sam, stay in touch with Stenz and help these two. I've got a meeting."

"Good luck, Mark."

"Thanks, Sam…. I'll need it."


	2. Lay of the Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alan Jonah has been a busy man over the last year. Madison and Mark face similar struggles seperately.

It had been close to a year, he reasoned. One year since his plans had been foiled for a second time. The Russell's had gotten in the way again.

Or at least, the father had. The daughter wasn't much of an issue. 

Alan Jonah watched patiently as his geneticists continued their work. The DNA recovered from Ghidorah and snatched from Leviathan had produced some interesting results. Ghidorah's cells, according to Doctor Li indicated that his cells could mold around the cells of other Titans, with the proper conditions.

So they took it one step further, and added some Oxygen Destroyer samples to the mix. A few contained small microscopic organisms, which the geneticists had deemed unfit for use, but Jonah pressed forward anyway.

The result, was contained in three separate tanks in front of him. Each of the tanks contained a large creature. No longer than 30 feet, and averaging around 18 feet tall. They were crimson red, with orange eyes and ivory teeth jutting from their jaws, which sported no lips or gums. Long pincers rested at the ends of their tails, and ornate crests extended from their skulls.

His Destroyers. Perfect killing machines. They lacked arms, but made up for it with their eight razor sharp claws that doubled as legs. Weighing in at close to seven tons per creature, they were tanks. He had yet to release them, however. Admittedly, he was scared of their power. The Oxygen Destroyer had nearly killed Godzilla. What could three beings that harassed its energy do?

He smiled at the thought. Purge humanity. Free the world.

Jonah had his tools. He just needed to control them. The Orca functioned well in send the Crab on a rampage. But the bioacoustics that worked on so many other Titans wouldn't work here. The Ghidorah DNA made the Destroyers nigh immune to the effects of the Orca. They had barely pacified Ghidorah long enough to escape. But the Destroyers had none of that restraint. None of the intelligence. 

As far as behavior… they had been all instinct until they were contained. Now they grew, and had been growing for months. Jonah needed a break through soon, or the devil he would unleash would yield to no one.

\----------

"Maddie! Sweetie, breakfast is ready!"

The calls of her grandmother's voice, and the smell of French toast drew Madison from her sleep. As she sat upright in her bed, she glanced at her clock, located on her table.

6:47. 

That was the cost of going to school. Getting up early. It had been her choice though. 

As she got dressed, she contemplated said choice. It had been hard to speak to her father following last year's events. She knew he hadn't wanted to release Ghidorah. He had done it to save her. But she had told him not to listen, to let her die. It wasn't worth countless lives. Because of her father, Denver was mostly rubble, but luckily able to rebuild given that Ghidorah simply passed over. 

Boston had been the result of her mother caring too much. Denver had been the result of her father doing the same. So much damage, and so many lives gone because of them. It's why Madison had made the decision to move back to Illinois, and live with her grandparents. She could finish her schooling in an actual classroom and distance herself from Monarch. 

Madison didn't know how her father felt about her leaving. She hadn't told him until an argument over the phone. Mark had called asking where she was, and Madison was fresh off the plane at Chicago O'Hare. He had been furious, but Madison hadn't stayed on long enough to find out. She told him where she would be, what she would be doing, and that she wasn't ready to speak to him. 

She hadn't spoken to him since she hung up. Although she probably should, she figured he didn't need any more on his plate, given the scrutiny Monarch was under these days. 

As she got downstairs, she rounded into the kitchen and was greeted by her grandmother, Lillian Clark, at the stove. Lillian was a portly woman, nearing 70 in age but only 20 in heart. Madison loved how open she was. She was honest and considerate at the same time, which meant a lot to her right now. 

"Breakfast is on the counter sweetie. Butter is up in the fridge."

"Thank you, Grammy." Madison replied, making her way to the food that awaited her. 

As she ate her breakfast, Lillian finished her cooking and cleaning, and opted to approach Madison. 

"Have you spoken to Mark?" She asked.

"No." Madison began, speaking around her breakfast "I really don't want to right now. I'm not ready for it and I can't really forgive him for what he did."

"You still haven't told us." Lillian replied. 

"I know." Madison said, scarfing down the last of her breakfast. Lillian collected her dish, and placed it in the dishwasher. She then turned to face Madison, eyes searching. 

"Mark is my son-in-law. I don't care that he and Em split. He was loyal, and just hurting from Andrew's passing. They both were. Whatever he did to you, i doubt he did it out of anything other than wanting the best for you."

Madison nodded, collecting her bag for school. She hugged Lillian and walked out of the house, down the driveway to the road where the bus would come get her. On the hill to her left, rested a tombstone in the distance. Madison could only wonder what her mother would say right now.

Because she had no damn clue.

\----------

Mark Russell had no damn clue what he was supposed to do.

The meeting had gone off without a hitch. The top donors and scientists were a little shell shocked at the loss of Outpost 95, but only a handful of fatalities were reported, and the rest were minor injuries. He thought that their reaction was good enough to press on to the topic few larger funding increases.

That's when the voices started getting raised. If the donors had been dogs, their cackles would have reached the ceiling. A few thought that it was a good idea, however the funds just weren't available. One other agreed to raise his funding by 10%, granted another million dollars at least. The rest of the attendants grumbled and gave him a hard 'no.'

Mark tried again, because they had a few bills to pay on top of supplies and munitions, and he really wanted some money left over for emergencies. But now they're scraping by for another three damn months. The donors were so stubborn, and they really needed flexible donors to run an organization based on tracking, locating, and containing giant monsters. What did they think this was, a circus?

He guided them through the next few reports and signed off with the usual promise that he would see them at the next quarterly meeting in March.

Now, he was sitting at his desk, staring at a picture of the family. Andrew, Emma, Madison, and him. Maddie had just been born when this was taken. Her eyes were elsewhere. Emma, a few days home from the hospital, was definitely behind on sleep. Mark and Andrew both had dirt on their faces from that days outdoor activities.

He smiled at the photo. Four happy people. 

None of them were happy anymore. He had lost Madison. She was so angry at him turning Ghidorah loose, and she hadn't even given him a chance to explain. Now she was in Illinois, never wanting to see him again, and he was here, in an underwater base a mile into and underwater mountain, wanting to see her. But she was hurting, and so was he. Time heals a lot of wounds, but time wasn't something he was sure anybody had any more. 

He just hoped she was okay.

\----------

At the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, Ebirah stirred. 

He had been resting since his defeat at the hands of Godzilla. His tail was still useless, and his progress to climb to higher depths was slow. He wasn't built to climb underwater mountains, given he was heavier than some of them. But he wanted to get to higher.

Within Ebirah's body, microscopic crustaceans fed off of his ambient radiation, slowly growing in size. Over time, there was a chance they could drain their host, but then they could find a new one. Growth was all that mattered, and they cared not for the lives of those they devoured. It wasn't instinct that drove this behavior, it was something far more sinister.

Primitive Malice.


	3. Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Valentina arrives at Castle Bravo, and receives a tour from Sam. Meanwhile, Rodan broods, and an evil grows stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sweet baby Jesus it's been a minute. I apologize, but life caught up with this guy and I've been busy. Like I said, uploads will be SEMI-consistent. I intend to finish this one at least, don't worry. 
> 
> So here we are, Chapter 3.

Valentina watched as the osprey maneuvered to its bay. She was still in awe at the sight before her. 

Outpost 54. The flagship installation of Monarch, and home to its top minds. Unofficially, it was referred to as Castle Bravo. Here, Monarch tracked and studied Godzilla primarily. The King of the Monsters often used a recently discovered entrance to the Hollow Earth that had been located nearby. 

The installation had been lacking a dedicated biologist like Valentina. Its former biologist had been sent off to Outpost 74. Valentina was filling a much needed role, and even more so, she was at the home base.

The osprey touched down, jolting Valentina from her thoughts. The lights inside dimmed, and the back ramp began to lower. Valentina walked towards it, and spied a familiar face.

"Sam!" She cheered. Standing off of the ramp near the back of the ospreay was Sam Coleman, Monarch's chief technician, liaison, and a close friend of one Valentina Pavlov. 

The two embraced. It had been three years since they had last seen each other. While calls were frequent, the events of Boston and Las Vegas had narrowed and scattered any window for communication. In particular, Valentina's career had been up in the air, and Sam had been in harm's way. Outside of a small check up call after Boston, there had been little contact.

"It's good to see you Valentina." Sam said, stepping back after giving her a once over. "Its been way uh… way too long."

"I know." She replied. "How are things around here?"

The smile on Sam's face dropped a little. As it continued to slowly fade, he glanced around, before looking back at Valentina. 

"Not good. I'll tell you on the tour." He replied.

Valentina nodded, and followed Sam as he waved her to follow.

\----------

Mark frowned at the monitor in front of him.

"How?"

Rick Stanton turned to face him, with a puzzled look of his own.

"Well, it could have been injuries from the fight? We don't know what Godzilla did to him down there. He could've gotten absolutely clobbered and we wouldn't have known."

Mark tilted his head, mentally conceding awarding a point to Stanton. He focused on Ebirah's marker. It was a still dot in the Western Gulf of Mexico. Scanners left over from Outposts 56 and 95 indicated that Ebirah's bioacoustics had flatlined. So now not only was Mark going to have to fill out the debrief papers on the facility's destruction, he also now had a stack of paperwork for a deceased Titan. Thankfully, it wouldn't be as much as Sargon. Mainly because Ebirah's death was still a mystery.

"Keep guessing." Mark said, patting Rico's shoulder as he turned and walked away. He didn't really have a destination in mind. All he had to figure out was the shortest way to write about the mysterious death of a brand new Titan. Simple.

As Mark exited the control room and rounded a corner, he bumped into Sam and a middle aged woman. She stood up to Mark's chin, and underneath a blonde mop that one might assume was a bun, were to blue orbs staring at him in surprise. He looked to Sam for an answer to the unasked question.

"Mark, this is Valentina Pavlov, our new biologist. She was stationed at Outpost 95 when Ebirah hit."

Mark's gaze flickered back to Valentina, who was looking at him. 

"Really? Well I'm sorry you had to be a part of that attack. Unfortunately we didn't know where Ebirah came from. Hell, we didn't even have a name for him yet."

Valentina nodded. 

"It could have been worse. At least Big G showed up." She replied.

"Big G?" Mark asked.

"It's the unofficial nickname for Godzilla." Sam answered. "We try to avoid using it around here because we don't want to encourage Rick to nick name all the Titans, or sound unofficial in the flagship base."

Mark nodded. 

"Do me a favor and keep it that way, Sam." He replied. He looked back to Valentina. 

"I hope you settle in well. If you need anything, don't be afraid to make Sam get it for you." Mark chuckled at his little joke, clapping Sam on his shoulder as he made his way past them. 

Valentina looked to Sam. "He seems a little agitated."

Sam looked from the direction Mark went to Valentina. "He has a right to be. He'll tell you eventually. C'mon, let's go meet Rick. You gotta see the command center."

\----------

"Ling, you can't be serious!"

"If you were a good sister, you would support me!"

Doctor Ilene Chen pinched her nose and groaned.

"Ling, you can't quit after all that we have been through. What about-"

Ilene scanned the room around her, confident that no one would hear her.

"What about Mothra?" She finished. 

She heard Ling sigh on the other end of the call.

"That's not fair." Ling replied.

"She's basically family, Ling! We took the same vow!" 

"And you have two daughters who will take it soon." Ling replied steadily. 

Ilene bowed her head.

"I failed them, Ling. I let my own desires get in the way of my duties as a mother. Yao was right to take them. They are better off away from Monarch, and Mothra."

She took a breath, and continued.

"It's our burden." She finished.

A moment of silence passed before Ling asked a question.

"What if Mothra reaches out to them? They'll get locked up or pulled in anyway."

"We'll deal with it then." Ilene replied. "Until then, we are the ones responsible. You can't quit now. Mothra is finally here, and we can truly bring Man and Titan together! Like Mom always said."

She heard another sigh. The silence was deafening.

Then, Ling replied with confidence.

"Okay."

\----------

Fire. 

Rodan loved fire. Whether it was the small flames he caused in passing or the massive wildfires he could spawn, he was at home in it. Quite literally. But he also loved the good that fire did. It helped plants grow, and made the green return to places it hadn't been in a long time. However, Rodan hadn't been aware of the consequence of an oil refinery meeting a flaming Titan. 

A massive column of flame roared in front of him. A pillar of black smoke that would've dwarfed Ghidorah floated into the sky. There had been humans in this place. Humans he was supposed to protect. Not of his own accord. But Godzilla had made the request. Rodan had been flying all over the world, protecting them. But here, he made a mistake. 

As the flames roared, and the human structure burned, Rodan's love of fire was renewed. But his anger only destroying things burned brighter than the flame in front of him. He wanted to help the world as Godzilla, and even Scylla had. But all he could do was burn things down. Where was his place? His purpose? Was he just a weapon for Alphas? Why could he not be the fire of creation.

As Rodan watched the fire, his love for the flame was burned away by his rage. That same rage is what drove him to attack Godzilla. He took a breath through his nostrils. He needed to breathe, to think. 

He lifted off, using a flap of his wings to create a thunder clap, instantly reducing the fire's size greatly. Rodan decided that he would something else he loved. Fly. 

Despite being a Titan, Rodan enjoyed the occasional peace that came with being above the clouds. Humans weren't often up here, unless a small craft was traversing nearby. For the most part, Rodan could just glide. It was nice.

He wondered about Radon. Some days he would fly to her and watch as she rested. Her hibernation would last a while. He figured at least until the land shifted again. But he would be here. Waiting. 

Then they would glide together.

\----------

Deep within the bowels of Ebirah, a new evil was born. 

The microscopic organisms had broken down many particles. But the ravenous hunger that drove them to kill Ebirah now drove them to consume each other. Millions of them became dozens. Dozens became a handful.

That handful became one. A creature unlike any the world had known before. Crimson red from its crests to the end of its tail, with a small horn jutting out of its skull. A destroyer of all living things was born into the world, fueled by the rage of its microscopic parents. Its first meal was located around it. With a fury unseen to the world above the waves, the precambrian serpent began to feed on what remained of Ebirah. 

Far above, the sea was calm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some of my time away was used to write some background for me to work off of for this. Nothing fancy, Just a little world-building. 
> 
> I'm setting a hard release date for chapter 4. October 31st. It may come out Well before, but my goal is to have it out before November 1st. Because two weeks between uploads feels WRONG.
> 
> Anyways, see you next time!.


	4. Beneath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Colonel Foster oversees the Argo's refit, G-Team gets some down time. Meanwhile, a new Titan trails a fishing vessel, looking for a fight.

A fog had settled in around the crew of the fishing vessel Owari. They were well east of Japan, in international waters. In the years since Janjira, it had been harder to find fish that weren't contaminated. But since the rise of the Titans, the local populations had swelled. Breeding was recorded in record numbers. A sign of more change to come.

But for the Owari, it meant a bigger haul, and a bigger payday. It also meant longer hours. Tetsuya Honda was exhausted as a result. The twenty-seven year old was only in his fourth year of fishing, and was still getting used to the long hauls that the captain would drag them on. His degree in marine biology wasn't doing him any good, despite his current location on the great blue expanse. 

Honda sighed as the small fishing boat rocked back and forth on the waves, gently swaying to the tune of the sea. His crewmates had left him to watch the deck while they all retired to the bridge for a bit of relaxation. The Owari wasn't a large ship, per say. But it was large enough where Honda had some semblance of privacy on the stern.

As he gazed at the water, he could see the smallest of fish just beneath the waves. On a good day, one could see the schools twenty feet down. He liked watching them. They were so mindless yet organized. Cautious yet carefree. For just a moment, Honda want nothing more to be one of those fish. 

Then the fish scattered, breaking off and hightailing it out of sight. Honda figured it was a larger fish. But then, beneath the waves, he saw a red mass move under the ship, rocking the boat. The commotion caused Honda's crewmates, including the captain, Hiroshi, to exit the cabin and approach Honda.

As they approached, the water began to rise off the port side of the ship. A massive orange sail, attached to a red serpent like skull rose from the foaming water. Two massive green orbs stared at the boat, and the crew on it. Two smaller fins were attached at the back of the skull, on either side of the sail. 

"Titan." Hiroshi breathed out.

With a roar, the Titan raised its massive hand out of the water, claws glistening in the sun, and brought it down near the boat, The waves rocking the Owari and threatening to capsize her. The crew held on, and Honda looked back up to find the orange sail disappearing beneath the waves.

"Let's get out of here." Hiroshi ordered. 

Leaving the site behind, the Owari raced back to Japan. Beneath the waves, just out of sight, the Titan followed. With a surprising amount of guile, and its heightened senses aiding it, it had no trouble trailing the vessel from a distance. It wanted to see if there were more like it. Maybe less fragile ones.

It wanted a good fight.

\----------

The drydock for the USS Argo was, unironically, in the newest section of Area 51. A 25,000 square foot facility, the compound was where Argo underwent repairs, and where her sister ship was set to be built.

But currently, all hands available were tasked with updating the Argo's arsenal with a wider array of anti-Titan weapons. Her missiles had been outfitted with cadmium warheads, and could be fired into a Titans mouth in an effort to stop its heart. Her outermost missile pods had been replaced with a new weapon, imported from Japan. The D-03 missile was designed originally to rescue people trapped in debris. Launched from a launcher, it would burrow into a target via the drill on the front, and detonate on the command of the user. 

However, the most powerful addition was the deployable Maser in lieu of the secondary cargo-bay. Extending from the bottom of the ship, the maser could fire up to three times before a mandatory recharge. It was the most important addition, and required a retrofitted nuclear reactor to power. 

But despite all of its bells and whistles, the crew was the most important aspect, at least in the eyes of Colonel Diane Foster. The crew, from G-Team to the damn janitor is what really made things go. Martinez, Griffin, and Barnes were all off enjoying a well earned vacation. So that left Foster to oversee the refit. Not that she was complaining. She didn't mind the noise and the boredom of being in drydock, because it was better than Afghanistan. But she didn't enjoy it either. She was away from her husband and her kids, and that bothered her a lot. Especially in a world filled with Titans.

She sighed and spun around in her office chair. 

She could use a drink.

\----------

The bartender wasted no time filling the shot-glasses as they hit the bar. In front of him, Anthony Martinez had an arm wrapped around Jackson Barnes, who was reciting some tale from his childhood. Lauren Griffin could only watch with a smile as Barnes hopped into a loose imitation of his father. 

"-better get your ass down here or imma beat your ass!" He finished with a laugh. Martinez snorted.

"Did he?" Martinez asked, wiping his nose.

"Up and down the street." Barnes confirmed with a nod, eyeing his shot. "I don't think it was even legal the shit he did. But I never got on the roof again, so lesson learned." He finished with a chuckle. Taking their cue, Griffin and Martinez picked up their shots. Griffin smiled as she raised her glass a little higher.

"To Jackson's sore ass, and fear of rooftops" she toasted. As Martinez toasted, Barnes scoffed.

"It's not THAT bad." He retorted.

"Shut up and drink your damn whiskey." She replied as she down her own shot. Barnes shook his head and complied, downing his as the bartender approached.

"Another round?" He asked, eyeing the group. Griffin glanced at her comrades, who were both rather buzzed.

"I think we'll call it for the drinking. We're gonna hit the pool tables. Thanks though." Griffin replied.

"Anytime. Thanks." The bartender responded. 

The trio made their way over to the tables, finding themselves the closest table to the entrance. Martinez eyes Griffin.

"You ready to get your ass kicked?" He asks, eyebrows raised.

"Only one joining Barnes in the sore-ass club is you." Griffin replied, gesturing between Barnes and Martinez as she did.

"Hey now, why not get both of you in here? Plenty of room." Barnes shot back, securing the pool-balls in place.

As the three settled in, Barnes felt the absence of Hendricks. Hendricks had died in Antarctica nearly two years ago. Right in front of Barnes. His friend and comrade was gone. The two had been close, and Barnes was the godparent to Hendrick's son, Colby. 

It was a hole that he couldn't fill. There were supposed to be four in their group. There should be a weary idiot asking how to play. 

There wasn't, and that right there is why Barnes felt like it was time to tell Griffin and Martinez about his feelings. He hates this suffering and he wants to ask for help. But he doesn't know how to ask. 

He takes a breath and resolves to figure it out. He has some ass to kick right now.

\----------

The Owari lazily cruised along, unaware of the Titan following them. The creature pondered the small vessel. It would not put up much of a fight, and it found boredom in that. The creatures below were hidden and asleep, and it could never catch up to the awoken Titans. So these little ones had to do. But the lack of a challenge was eating at it. 

Suddenly, there was a call. Far below, and very close at the same time. But it was no ordinary call.

It was the alpha. A real challenge was coming, and it welcomed it.

\----------

Godzilla increased his speed as he neared the Titan. He had finally picked up a trail hours ago, and from there it wasn't hard to catch up. This one had been lazily drifting along, which made Godzilla's job a lot easier. It wasn't targeting anything that it wasn't supposed to, humans or otherwise. All he had to do was get it to submit. 

So he allowed his muscles to get a little lax. He wanted it to be simple for once. Unfortunately, simple was not on today's menu. A change in sounds told him it had changed course. In fact, it was getting louder. It had heard his call. 

He could make it out if he focused. The large shape bearing down on him. Just with a glance, he knew it wasn't bending the knee. Not easily.

Godzilla tensed up and prepared for a fight, as the creature came close enough to see in detail.

He charged without a second thought, ready to put this Titan in its place, as he had so many others


	5. Enter: Titanosaurus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Godzilla faces off with another new awakening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy! I'm back! I just took a vacation down to Vegas for my birthday. It was a blast! I've also been super busy with work. So I apologize for the delay. Sincerely. I just don't want to put out something that isn't as good as I feel I can get it to be, ya know? 
> 
> Anyways, here's Chapter 5! Enjoy!

"Do you think he has a birthday?" Sam asked, suddenly. Rick and Sam were in the command center, monitoring the Titans. A few, like Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan made their rounds on the map. Scylla remained nestled near Antarctica, and Tiamat had just left his usual spot under Georgia and drifted under the Atlantic.

"Who?" Rick inquired.

"Godzilla." Sam answered.

"Of course." Rick began, scratching his nose. "Every being has a day of birth. Just can't record all of them."

Sam pondered that for a moment. 

"He's totally a Scorpio." Sam stated.

Rick turned, eyeing Sam with an incredulous look.

"Uh… no. Sam this ain't astro wizardry. This is biology." He turned away at that, facing the screen. "Besides, Big G is a Taurus."

Behind them, Chen and Pavlov entered the command center at a fast pace.

"Rick!" Chen called. "Focus on Godzilla! Pull up his bioacoustics!"

As Rick scrambled to comply, Sam looked at the map. 

"What's he doing?" He asked.

"He's in a fight. Another awakening." Chen replied. She picked up her tablet from her desk and began punching in commands, searching for any myths that could explain a new Titan near Japan. Orochi had been largely the focus of myth and legend on Honshu. But Kyushu and Southern Japan had another notable myth. A scarlet dragon that reigned over the sea. Chen continued to read on. In myth, Susano-O had been the god of summer storms, and had a short temper. His anger had broken his sister's heart, and in an attempt to atone, he slays a sea serpent to craft a sword for her. Was this Susano-O, or the serpent?

"Confirmed." Rick suddenly said. "Godzilla has made contact. Heart and breathing elevated." The team leaned in around him, watching the screen. Rick had his earphones half on, and was eyeing it as well.

"Can we get a visual?" Chen asked.

"The Outpost there has deployed drones but they might not get there." Rick replied.

"What about the JSDF?" Pavlov asked, eyeing the nearby nation of Japan.

"They might not even KNOW." Sam answered. "We should warn them."

"Get on that then, I'll monitor them." Rick shot back.

"I'll keep searching for anything in the myths of the region." Chen added.

"And me?" Pavlov asked. Rick turned to face her, eyeing her for a moment. 

"Call Mark."

\----------

Beneath the waves near Japan, two titanic forces clashed. The King of the Monsters, and the Beast Who Would Not Bow. Godzilla grabbed at the scarlet creatures tail fin, but it darted away, demonstrating speed that surprised Godzilla. The King chased the Beast, deeper and deeper. Light was no issue, as both Titans had eyesight suited to being deep underwater.

Then, the Beast whipped around and tackled Godzilla. The force drove Godzilla back towards the surface. By the time he recovered, the Beast had fled. Godzilla searched eyes blazing with a fire in the deep blue sea. He couldn't locate the creature.

Then, a sound. To his right, and approaching fast.

The beast slammed into him with a bone crushing amount of force. Godzilla yelped in surprise at he was forced even deeper. His anger bubbled beneath his skin as he raked his claws into his foes back.

Enough was enough.

He charged up his atomic breath and bit into the attacker. The close range discharge seared the thick hide of the scarlet beast, forcing it to break off. Green eyes met orange as Godzilla squared off with the sea monster. Several growls were exchanged as they circled each other, muscles tensed. 

Small lights circled them as Monarch drones finally caught up to them. The small craft circled the scene, lenses focused on the creature facing Godzilla.

\----------

"I know that Titan."

The team whirled around to face Sam, all waiting for the younger man to elaborate.

"He uh…" the technician began. "He was the subject of study for a Japanese biologist. Doctor Mafune. He was a marine biology major. His daughter Katsura and I worked on a project when I was at MIT. She told me about it. Sensitive to sound, especially at high frequencies."

"What did she say he was called?" Chen asked.

"Titanosaurus. Whether it shares any ancestry with the sauropods is really uh…. Really NOT clear." He answered.

"Titanosaurus…" Rick slowly repeated, punching keys on his console. The unidentified marker on the map blinked, and Titanosaurus' name blinked near the marker.

Meanwhile, Pavlov was on the phone with Mark.

"This new Titan engaged Godzilla near Japan. They've been fighting for several minutes now!" 

"Okay." Mark replied over the line. "Get on the horn and send out an evacuation advisory for Japan. That's the first step once you've gotten an ID on the Titan."

"Okay." Pavlov said as she jogged over to the communications console. 

"Japan's code is 5-3-2-1-5. Once you've entered that, press the yellow button, then the green one." Mark explained.

Pavlov keyed in the code, and pressed the two keys.

"Alright, Done. Now what?" She asked. She got a sigh in response. 

"You wait."

\----------

Titanosaurus enjoyed many advantages over Godzilla in the water. He was far more agile and could push the King around with little trouble. In fact, Godzilla's only major advantage was his atomic energy. His attack had wounded Titanosaurus, and the red beast wasn't too pleased. He needed to pressed his attack. 

So he built up some speed and charged. He knew he could bowl over Godzilla. He planned on it.

He didn't plan on Godzilla learning.

As Titanosaurus steamed full speed ahead at Godzilla, the Atomic Beast rolled and dove under Titanosaurus. He grabbed the creature by the wrists and bit into his tail, restraining him. Godzilla used the momentum to swing himself to the top position, and released the tail, freeing his head to navigate.

With all of his strength, Godzilla began to drag a struggling Titanosaurus to land.

\----------

As several hours passed, Mark had found his way to the command center, and the team watched as Godzilla struggled to carry Titanosaurus to land. The island of Iwo Jima was not much farther, and the island shelf would create a level playing field. 

"Can we get a status update on that island?" Mark asked Rick.

"Local government is putting everyone they can onto boats. They can't do much more until help arrives." Rick said. Then he turned to Mark. "There's not much we can do without the Argo."

Mark nodded, seemingly accepting the answer, begrudgingly. But Chen noticed the way he got tenser. The eagerness building. He was Powerless and it was pissing him off. But they couldn't do anything but pray.

"What now?" Pavlov asked.

"More waiting." Sam sighed, eyes focused on the screen. 

\----------

Godzilla slammed Titanosaurus into the sand. After hours of struggling and kicking against the beasts strength, Godzilla had hauled it ashore. It would have no speed here. This was a tooth and claw fight, and the King would keep the crown. 

Titanosaurus stood to his full height. At 407 feet, he was 15 feet taller than Godzilla. His speed had been neutralized, and he had little in the way of ranged weapons. His only options were to run, or to fight.

Titanosaurus did not run.

With a roar, the red beast charged Godzilla, slamming into him. But Godzilla threw a clawed hand balled into a fist, which connected with Titanosaurus' skull. The sea monster stumbled back, dazed, and Godzilla pushed his attack. He swung another fist, this one from the right. The second punch was much more effective than the first, nearly knocking Titanosaurus out. The dazed beast was not prepared for the tail that slammed into his midsection moments after, knocking him down.

However, Titanosaurus bounced back up, and swung hard with a fist of his own. The punch hit Godzilla square in the snout, knocking the King right down. He charged up his atomic breath as he fell, and fired once the blurs cleared from his vision.

The blue light zipped through the Iwo Jima night, burning Titanosaurus shoulder. The crimson beast felt skin melt to the bone and stepped out of the way. His wounds were slowly piling up. This wasn't an easy fight.

And it wasn't worth his life.

Titanosaurus swung a clawed hand at Godzilla, cutting the Titan's face. Another hand was deflected, and Titanosaurus planted a kick to Godzilla's ribs, choosing that moment to make his escape. The Beast dove into the waves and swam as fast as he could.

Godzilla stood and watched the faint form disappear on the horizon. The creature hadn't submitted, but had opted to flee. It certainly hadn't been easy to fight by any means. Godzilla snorted, pushing some blood out of his snout. It could definitely punch if it wanted. 

He would take this victory, and simply beat it down later.

With a roar, he turned and dove into the sea, heading off to wherever he needed to be.

\----------

The last body hit the floor as the Destroyers tail released its throat. The woman had been guarding a small container full of a valuable new substance. 

Micro-Oxygen. 

The Destroyer began to feed, piercing the container with its secondary mandibles. The micro oxygen began to enhance it, causing him to grow, bigger and bigger. Small protrusions began to form in its back, and purple streaks of energy began to course through its veins. It could feel it. There was more Micro-Oxygen out there.

It would feed.


	6. UPDATE

So I haven't done a very good job of being consistent with this fic. Truthfully, I do want to keep writing it. But what I DON'T want is to deliver something subpar. You guys don't deserve that. You don't deserve the wait I've put you through either. 

I want to get two chapters out before New Years. I will get them out by then. But understand that the delays are me writing and re-writing chapters to do it right.

Hang in there. We aren't far off from the next chapter, and I apologize for the wait.

-M


	7. Emergence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Monarch freighter is attacked, spurring Godzilla into action. Madison reflects on the weather. Jonah oversees his pet project.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is after a long delay. Chapter 6: Emergence.
> 
> I didn't want to put out something I felt was subpar. The good news is my inspiration is back. I should have one more chapter up before New Years. I'm very much hoping ill be more consistent with this fic come 2020.
> 
> The delay of Godzilla vs Kong has definitely changed some of my plans for the future of this AU Universe that im doing. Thankfully, my roadmap for this fic is unaffected.

Madison waited as the school bus slowly filled up with students, all eager to get home. Some sported tired looks. Others, like her, were rather neutral. A select few were happy. None of this was unusual. What was unusual was the lack of phone calls from her father. Ordinarily, Mark would try to call her at least three times a day. Up until yesterday, it had been consistent. However, a cursory glance at her call log showed zero missed calls for the day. 

Madison sighed and glanced out the window. The clouds were gathering and she knew it was going to rain. She knew all too well the signs of a coming storm, having been at the epicenter of the Battle of Boston. She had witnessed clouds race into the city at a record pace as Ghidorah whipped up a storm. She was probably qualified to be a weather girl.

Despite her uneasiness with rain, Madison found comfort in the ambient noise of a school bus full of rowdy teenagers. When she had been in Boston, she had been alone. No one had been in Fenway, let alone the city proper when Ghidorah had touched down. She had been alone. That, coupled with her past experiences with Jonah, had made it hard for her to be alone, to accept silence. It was once easy, but now that security has left her. 

Madison rested her head on the window. Her stop was one of the last. She decided on a nap.

Only the dark was comforting now.

\----------

Jonah watched as his project floated in its chamber. His Destroyer was a serpentine creature, owing its build to Leviathan, and its head showed trace amounts of Ghidorah's skeletal features. The "cheek" bones, and horns that ran out of the back of its skull resembling those of the severed head that once resided in their base back in Colorado.

He smiled at the creature, before turning and walking down the hall. He knew that there was still a ways to go before the Destroyer would be ready. In fact, one scientist even suggested waiting up to a year after it reaches maturity. Jonah disregarded him. The Destroyer wasn't meant to be controlled. It was meant to be a way of cleansing the Earth. A way of setting things right. 

For Jonah, "Right" meant a world where man could not interfere with nature. The only way to accomplish this was to remove humanity's ability to destroy on a large scale. There was an irony to that, and it didn't go over Jonah's head.

His Destroyer would reign supreme.

\----------

On the other side of the planet, a different Destroyer rocketed through the ocean. Hunting another healthy serving of Micro Oxygen, it found its target.

A large freighter docked near Miami. On board, the crew stood guard over a white shipping container. Emblazoned on the container was the now infamous Monarch logo. The Destroyer cared not for looks or designs. This was not a five star dining experience, This was a quest for power. It would be satisfied, no matter the taste.

It approached the vessel fast, not caring about being silent, or stealthy. With a burst of speed, the Destroyer leaped out of the water, and on to the boat. The men guarding the container leapt back in surprise, and one reached for his sidearm,drawing the weapon and aiming at the monster. He quickly fired off three shots, his bullet spread landing in a small grouping on the Destroyers face.

If the creature cared, it didn't show it.

Instead, the Destroyer lunged, targeting the human who had dared to fire on him. Using his secondary mouth, he gored the poor soul's skull, ending his life instantly. The second guard fared no better, encountering the claws that rested at the end of the Destroyers tail.

With its opposition dead, and remaining personnel fleeing or hiding, the Destroyer was free to feed. It approached the container, and easily made work of the metal. Inside was a large crate. The Destroyer chewed through the crates lid to reveal three containers, each transparent, with a slight purple hue in its contents. The Destroyer had its meal in the form of three micro oxygen samples.

Piercing each with its secondary mandibles, the Destroyer fed, siphoning the Micro Oxygen from each. As it grew, its weight began to tilt the ship, and eventually begin to crumple the haul. Workers and guards began to flee as the Destroyer pushed past 200 feet in height.

With the Micro Oxygen consumed, changes began within the Destroyer. Purple bolts of energy flowed through it, and it's eyes began to glow yellow. Suddenly, a beam of pure energy erupted from its maw, disintegrating a growing field of onlookers.

With its power growing, it departed into the sea, intent on hunting.

\----------

"What the hell is that thing?!" Sam shouted, stunned at what he had just watched. Ilene, Valentina, Rick, and Mark all watched as the crimson beast departed into the sea, having just killed dozens of people. 

"Some kind of new Titan." Mark answered. "But it went after the micro oxygen. No Titan naturally seeks Micro Oxygen… right?"

"Right." Rick answered. "But Micro Oxygen didn't exist until after the Oxygen Destroyer was dropped. Its essentially a new fuel source, and if this Titan can smell it, others might too."

"Do you think Micro Oxygen can attract new Titans?" Chen asked.

"Maybe…" Rick answered. "The issue is that we haven't seen its effects on any other Titan but Godzilla. It damn near killed him. If this thing is using it as a fuel source… that's not good."

"So what do we do?" Valentina asked.

Mark turned to Sam.

"I want every Monarch asset with Micro Oxygen in their manifest to be on high alert. This is what attacked the other team. Its feeding. We need effective measures in place to kill it."

"Or capture?" Valentina asked.

Mark shook his head, turning to her.

"Its killing with no remorse, like Ghidorah. There's no point."

"I'll put the order out right now." Sam said.

Mark nodded, and then turned to Chen and Rick.

"Stanton, I need you to get a lock on it and track it. Chen, I need to know everything you can find. Name, powers, weaknesses."

Both scientists nodded and scrambled off to their stations, leaving Valentina with Mark.

"Pavlov, locate any samples of Micro Oxygen in this facility and put them in lock up. We need to be prepared." Mark ordered.

"Got it." Pavlov said, departing quickly.

Mark turned to the viewscreen and tried to collect his thoughts. What was this thing? Why seek out Micro Oxygen? Why now?

He had a feeling that this would get worse, so he resolved to do one thing.

Get Madison.

\----------

Godzilla heard the new call from half a world away. It wasn't natural. It sounded wrong, out of place. It was a chimera of sounds and vocalizations that didn't go together. It unsettled him. He had dealt with one invader, now another? 

He released a roar, echoing on a high frequency reserved for two other Titans.

It was time to attack.

\----------

Far above the middle east, Rodan heard Godzilla's call. An invader? Again? It wasn't right that so many new Titans stirred within the Earth, but now new ones were being born up here too? It didn't make sense. So much had changed.

Regardless, he responded. The beacon had been sounded, Godzilla calls for aid….

…..and Rodan will answer.

\----------

It wasn't often that China's rainforests were at peace. But in the years since the rise of Godzilla, the land had seen the emergence of its rightful protector.

Her body began to glow as she was roused from her slumber. Her mighty body rose on shaky legs, fore-limbs stretching out in front of her. 

From her resting place atop the temple, overlooking Outpost 61's ruins, Mothra stretched out her mighty wings and illuminated the area in a beautiful blue glow.

The King had called, and the order was under attack. 

The Queen would defend it.


	8. Panama Skirmish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monarch tracks Godzilla as he pursues the Destroyer. Rodan joins the pursuit, and these events lead Madison to a crossroads.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! The second of two chapters I promised before New Years, and therefore the last chapter of 2019, unless I put another one together for you guys.
> 
> Anyways enjoy!

Rodan blazed across the sky towards the target. Godzilla was much closer to the creature than he was, so it was imperative that he reduce the amount of time that Godzilla was alone aganist this strange foe. No one knew what damage it could do, and if it had attacked a human city, the humans would be trigger happy.

He heard Mothra far on the horizon, in the direction he was heading. She was approaching as well. How they would engage it in the water remained unclear to the One Born of Fire, but he supposed he could use old hunting tricks. It really depended on what they were up aganist, however. This wasn't like Typhon or Ghidorah, where they knew what they were fighting. 

That made Rodan a little anxious. But he had faith.

And faith is all they needed sometimes.

\----------

Mark marched into the command center, immediately approaching Rick, who was typing away at his console and glancing at his screen occasionally. The bioacoustics analyst was hard at work keeping track of whatever that creature was, as well as properly coordinating the numerous vessels in the ocean to get out of the way. 

Which presented an unfortunate issue: the Panama Canal.

With a sigh, he turned to Mark.

"Boss? We got a problem." 

"What is it?" Mark asked, walking over to the console. On the screen, a red blip was moving closer and closer to the canal. 

"The Thing is moving towards the Panama Canal. There are several vessels in transit. They can't get out of the way in time." Rick explained, turning back to the screen with a weary look. Mark leaned in, eyeing the blip and the larger one behind it.

"Godzilla's already on it?" Mark asked.

"Yeah. G-Man overheard the commotion from his patrol route off of Bermuda. Made a hard turn and hauled ass over." Rick leaned forward. "He's gaining ground, but slowly. The creature will get through the canal, but I don't reckon much farther."

Mark nodded, and glanced at the whole display, eyeing the pacific. Skull Island was well out of the creatures way, and there was no Micro Oxygen there. The nearest container of it was on a shipment that was just past the island. It was bound for Sydney, if Mark remembered correctly. 

Above that shipment was another blip.

Mark pointed to it, and looked at Rick.

"Is Mothra coming too?" He asked. Rick glanced at the marker, seeing it, but another blip behind Godzilla caught his eye.

"Rodan too." He answered, pointing to the Fire Demon's signature.

"Terrific." Mark sighed. He ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. He had FOUR Titans about to square off near the Panama Canal. Shipping lanes were already being disrupted, and it was genuinely icing on the shit-cake for his day. 

Madison hadn't answered his call, so for the first time in months, Mark left a voicemail. He had explained what was going on, and that he would be up to get her as soon as it was dealt with. Fortunately, with Godzilla and Friends on the case, it wouldn't be long.

He just wanted a little peace. Was that too much to ask?

More footsteps behind him caused him to turn, seeing Ilene approaching him. Her eyes locked with his and she began to speak.

"I couldn't find anything on this Titan. No texts, paintings, or otherwise. Its a completely new Titan." She explained.

Rick chuckled darkly. 

"Another invasive species." He murmured.

Mark ignored him, focusing on Chen. 

"Any metaphors or religious texts from the region? Maybe his stories were blurred by time?" 

But Chen shook her head. There was nothing. 

Mark sighed once more. 

"Thanks, Ilene." He said. 

All of their eyes focused on the monitor. As Rick continued to coordinate the evacuation of the canal, the creature approached, with literal gods nipping at its heels.

\----------

Jonah watched as the Titans chased the other Destroyer. He knew its composition, naturally, as a being of Micro Oxygen. Godzilla had size and strength, so it stood no chance. 

He turned to the empty tank. Freshly drained of fluids, he knew that he had made the right call.

That Destroyer would die, and his would feed. Then, it would reign over all life. Godzilla wouldn't stand a chance. 

The revolution was coming.

\----------

Several hours passed, and the creature surfaced at the Panama Canal, hellbent on crossing to the Atlantic. It blazed across the landscape, leaving destruction in its wake. It didn't know that Godzilla was following it. The King of the Monsters had the element of surprise, and now that they were on land, he could get a good look at the monstrosity. 

The crimson coloring made it stick out like a sore thumb, and it's many legs ended in sharp points, likely for defence. He would have to avoid those. At the tip of its tail was another set of claws, and a horn could be seen breaking out of its skull.

All in all, it was an abomination. It needed to be destroyed.

Godzilla broke out of the water and ran towards the creature, shaking the Earth to its core as he did. With a roar, he slammed into the creature as it rose to meet him. Caught off guard, it slid back as it tipped over.

It quickly righted itself, letting out a demonic shriek as a beam of purple energy erupted from its maw.

The blast hit Godzilla in the chest, knocking him down. The King shook his head, vision blurred. His body was tingly, and he was numb at the point of impact. Regardless, he stood, although it took more energy than he would care to admit. He had to avoid that beam. 

He refocused on the creature in time to see it charge. The abomination slammed into Godzilla, ramming its crested head into his face. The horn narrowly went by Godzilla's skull. Getting hit with that would be very bad.

So Godzilla pushed the creature back, and fired his atomic ray. To his surprise, it didn't just char the creatures flesh….

It cut right through.

Green blood exploded out of the fresh wound as the creature shrieked in pain. In a rage it charged Godzilla, and slammed into him once more. This time, it extended its secondary mandibles, stabbing into Godzilla's chest. A few bursts of Micro Oxygen left his body, and entered into Godzilla's bloodstream.

Godzilla shoved the abomination back and fired his atomic ray, slicing up the torso of the creature. It turned and fled, trampling whatever was in its way as it hauled ass for the pacific ocean.

Godzilla made to follow, but a wave of fatigue and dizziness set in, and the King had to do a double take. Were there two creatures?

Before he could answer his own question, he tipped forward, and was unconscious before he even hit the ground. He would not stir for hours. 

By the time Godzilla would awake, the Destroyer would be on another collision course, with a foe all to familiar.

\----------

Madison watched as the news reported on the chaos at the Panama canal. The unknown creature was long gone, tracked well past the Galapagos on a warpath westward. Godzilla, on the other hand, had stirred several times since the encounter. Large amounts of clear fluid were being excreted from several wounds inside his body. He was fighting off an infection, Madison realized. The news only had glimpses and eyewitness accounts of the other Titan. 

To make matters worse, Rodan had blown over what remained of the area in pursuit of the thread, injuring dozens of people. Madison didn't fault the Fire Demon, but it was still a tragedy. Godzilla and Rodan were pursuing the Titan, which in itself created concern. If this Titan wasn't an issue, Godzilla would have simply beat it into submission. But this was different. From what little Dad had told her, Rodan served as an aid to Godzilla's defense of the natural order. To see him in action meant that it could be in jeopardy.

Which raised questions about her father's safety. Madison didn't want him to get hurt. Hell, two different conflicts with Ghidorah had put the fear of god in her. But Dad was out there in the fight, trying to save the world. His life was in danger when things got bad.

She sighed and turned off the TV.

She needed to breathe.

She needed to think.

She needed to call her Dad.

She picked up her phone from the counter and pulled up his info. If she made this call, she knew where it would lead. She knew the world of Titans and Gods and Monsters would pull her back in. If there was any time to step back and change her mind, it was now.

But she couldn't. She had a feeling it would get bad. She needed to be there, to help her father. 

She pressed call.

He answered on the second ring.


	9. Shifting Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foster and Stenz make further decisions regarding the Argo. Rodan and Mothra track The Destroyer. Mark makes a call, and so does G-Team.

The empty hallways of the Argo were far more welcoming than they were two months ago, when the wall panels were being torn off and inspected, and circuits repaired and rerouted. To Colonel Foster and Admiral Stenz, it had proved a worthwhile refit. The government had managed to avoid going over budget with the refit, and G-Team had proven more than competent with the weapons systems in the past few weeks.

While Foster was confident in the effectiveness of the Argo's upgrades, she wasn't so confident in the new crew. Of the 213 members of the Argo's former crew, only 20 remained onboard. Many had received (or requested) transfers to other stations. Some had retired. 

It was detrimental in her eyes, to the ability of the Argo to perform its mission. G-Team's skill was one thing, but the absence of a proven pilot with a new Titan running amok wasn't appealing to her. She had tried to locate Jake Sampson, but he had retired following Vegas. His co-pilot, Eduardo Perez had also departed for greener pastures.

With a week until the first test flight, she needed to get a shortlist of potential additions to G-Team, as well as a new set of pilots for Alpha Shift.

Which brings her to the man beside her. Admiral William Stenz. 

"Brackett isn't rated for this aircraft, Colonel. She may be sharp, but the Argo is not an F-18."

Foster nodded.

"What about Thrace?" She asked.

"Captain Thrace? Currently assigned to another project. I am under advisory to not move her."

"So who?" Foster pressed, coming to a stop as her tone betrayed a modicum of her frustration. Stenz eyed her, biting his lip and letting his gaze drift to the floor. He was deep in thought.

"I've got a pair. Dennis Gasol and Murray Fawcett. Pilot and Co-Pilot. They recently got their B-2 qualification done. Since they have no assignments, I can move them to training for the Argo pretty easily."

Foster hadn't heard the names before. 

"Could I see their files?" She asked.

Stenz nodded "I'll have them on your desk tonight. But I'm not done."

Foster raised an eyebrow.

"I've got a replacement for Hendricks."

Foster frowned. She had wanted to vet all potential replacements, as a favor to Barnes. Her gut was telling her she wouldn't like where this was going.

"Who, sir?"

Stenz smiled.

"Captain Ford Brody."

\----------

"Dad?"

"Hey, Maddie."

"...Hey."

"How are you? It's been… uh… it's been a minute."

"Several."

"Listen, I know we should talk. About everything that happened…"

"Where's the "but" in that?"

"Maddie… I don't know if you've been watching the news. There's another Titan out there."

"There are lots of Titans out there."

"Damn it Maddie! Just listen-"

"Why?! You never did! I told you not to do it! Not to wake up Ghidorah!"

"Mad-"

"No matter how much they-"

"Ma-"

"And you did it anyway! You kill-"

"I KNOW!"

"...what?"

"I said I know."

"Then why-"

"Because I needed you. I had lost your mother. I was running a sinking ship. I was broken, Madison. I didn't want to admit it Then, and even now I'm still hurting. I made a call at that moment."

"You didn't-"  
.  
"I know. But I did. I don't expect you to be grateful. I caved just like your mother."

"Dad I-"

"Look, there is a team on the way to get you. I'd do it myself but I'm needed here. Pack your bags. Be safe."

*click.*

"....I need you."

\----------

Rodan blazed through the stratosphere en route to the target. The creature had decimated several human ships along its course, leaving a trail to follow. Godzilla had only recently stirred, and was far behind. Mothra was on an intercept, but Rodan was likely to meet it first.

The creature was approaching an Island Chain off of Peru's coast, having drifted South after its battle with the King of the Monsters. It was more aimless now, it's energy spent on the fight.

Or it was looking for something.

Rodan seemed inclined towards the second option.

He lowered his altitude several thousand feet, eyeing another wrecked ship. This one was turned over, and there was a lack of humans in the water.

Godzilla was going to be pissed.

With a low call, he sped up, seeking his target. He was getting closer, and so was Mothra.

\----------

The Queen of the Monsters often enjoyed the rays of the Sun. Its blinding light masked it's pure energies, and Mothra knew that her connection to the Sun was more than just sustenance. It was spiritual, deep. It was in her blood and in her soul. That light is the brilliant light she wishes to match with her god rays.

But the Sun had yet to illuminate the evil that her and Rodan were hunting. Godzilla had caught up to it and been stunned long enough to lose the target. Rodan and her would not be so unfortunate. They had a plan.

Ultimately, the creature would either hit Antarctica, Rodan, or Mothra. Rodan was following it South, and she was flying in from the West. With Antarctica to the South, it could only avoid combat by going East, into the Cold Ocean. 

But it seemed geared on heading South. It had long passed Skull Island and it's King. This creature had no clear destination. Maybe it was trying to lose them?

Either way, it was running out of time. A Queen's righteous fury was coming, with a Fire Demon to boot.

\----------

Titanosaurus listened as the King and his slaves called out to each other. They were so pathetic, chasing this new creature to protect. They should chase it to fight! A good fight was all that mattered. Life itself was a test of strength and power!

His blood boiled at the thought of his prior run in with Godzilla. That fight hadn't gone his way, and it aggravated him. Angered him to his core. He used that memory to stoke the fire that was raging within. 

He stirred, resolve setting in. He would crush this new creature. Then he would beat Godzilla and his slaves into the ground. Only the strongest should survive.

Titanosaurus refused to bow.

\----------

The smell of bacon stirred Ford Brody from his sleep. He moved his head, searching for his clock.

Seven.

With a barely suppressed groan, Ford sat upright and put his feet on the floor. He blinked. Then he blinked again. It had been a long night, and he was feeling it. More nightmares, and more torment by then.

Them.

They had a name. Government assigned. But it didn't matter to Ford. Those parasites were monsters, not Titans like Godzilla. The fact that a third one was walking around had him worried. Would it come for him? His family?

Family.

Ford looked to the other side of his bed, where the mattress was flat from where Elle had slept. She was likely the one cooking bacon, given that Sam was eleven and mastering French toast, despite Elle's best efforts to raise a Pancake child. Ford considered it a small victory. 

Small victories were all he had some days.

He went to the closet and picked out his utility uniform. Today was an office day, pushing paperwork through so that the Navy could keep on churning. Despite the world being full of giant monsters, the DoD still seemed to be hellbent on making papercuts standard issue.

Dressed and relatively squared away, Ford walked down the stairs, boots thudding on the steps as he made his way to the kitchen. Throwing a smile on his face, Ford rounded the corner…

...and the smile fell right off.

Sitting at the table, flanked by several other sailors in utility wear, was Rear Admiral Russell Hampton, former Captain of the USS Saratoga, now Naval Advisor to Admiral Stenz.

Ford hadn't seen the man since 2015, when the debriefing had concluded. He hadn't said a word, and was rather curious as to why the man was in his kitchen, getting breakfast from his wife, while his kid was most likely (and had better be) getting dressed up stairs.

"Captain Brody. I'm assuming you have time for a chat?" Hampton asked, eyes scanning the younger man.

To his right, Elle spoke up.

"We have visitors…"

Ford sighed.

"Thanks, honey."

Elle switched the burner off, laying a paper towel onto a plate and scooping the bacon onto it. And moved the plate to the table, and approached Ford.

"I'm gonna go get Sammy ready for school. You've got a lot to talk about later." She kissed him on the cheek and marched up the stairs, leaving Ford with Hampton and his escort.

"Yes ma'am." He muttered, moving to the table and taking a seat. As he sat, he extended a hand to the Admiral.

"Sir." Ford greeted.

"Captain." Hampton replied, shaking the hand firmly. "You can be at ease."

Ford nodded, relaxing marginally.

"I'm going to cut to the chase, Captain Brody." Hampton began. 

"We have an offer for you. Straight from Colonel Foster of G-Team."

Ford blinked. "G-Team?" 

Hampton nodded "G-Team is a boots on the ground reaction force for crisis situations involving Titans. They are under the command of Colonel Foster and operate out of the USS Argo."

"The big stealth jet?" Ford asked.

"Yes." Hampton replied "I'm assuming you'll be asking about your family?"

Ford nodded.

Hampton leaned forward, hands clasped together.

"We have a few options…."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm BACK. It has been a minute, hasn't it? Man... I wanted to get this up about a month ago but life happened. I'm gonna try and get something semi regular going, so bear with me here. It might not be consistent, but imma try.
> 
> I missed all of you. <3


	10. Rumble in the Surf, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Destroyer crosses the ocean, it meets a new foe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see! I've been busy with life, avoiding COVID, and writers block. 
> 
> Keep it clean, stay indoors.

The Destroyer was surprisingly adept underwater, as Monarch was quickly finding out. After making a pit stop on the Galapagos Islands, he blazed West on what looked like a straight charge at Skull Island. Rick and several other analysts sent out a warning to Outpost 33. Thankfully, the creature changed course, and jogged North around the Island, with Rodan still on his heels. 

Meanwhile, Pavlov was still downstairs, typing away at her terminal. In front of her was a sample of the creature, retrieved from its attack in Miami. Mark had given her the task of learning what she could about it. As such, she had subjected the sample to changes in its environment. There was no reaction to changes in temperature, nor when the amount of light was adjusted. 

So how did it survive? The microorganisms had to have fed. The mouths made that clear. But what did they prey on? Other organisms? Radiation?

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. A hands on approach wasn't yielding the immediate results she required. So she placed the sample in an air-tight container, and placed it in cold storage, intending to return to it later. Right now, there was more trouble brewing.

The form it would take would stun them all.

\----------

"Another one?"

Ilene Chen nodded at Mark Russell. Another attack on an oil tanker, this time near Hawaii. The previous attack had taken place southwest of that, near Guam. To make matters worse, loose descriptions of the attacker closely resembled the very creature they were tracking across the South Pacific. The big difference?

This one could apparently fly.

The creative's presence had become more and more apparent as it had knocked civilian aircraft out of the sky. Air traffic control thought that they had been experiencing a malfunction until the crimson creature flew over Honolulu. The military tried to shoot it down, but it passed them by, and then flipped South towards the other creature.

Which meant that they had approximately six hours until Rodan and Mothra would have their hands full. Which meant the other creature would escape. Unless…

"Are any of the naval commanders in the South Pacific, and maybe Southeast Asia on good terms with us?" Mark asked.

Chen nodded "Australia's naval officers believe in what we do. Several Vietnamese ships could also be requisitioned." She faced Mark, eyes searching for an answer she had to hear "why?"

Mark pointed at the board "We can only track him as far as we can see him. We need to set up some kind of lookout for the region. Rodan and Mothra are going to be very busy real quick. Since Godzilla is still a ways behind, we have to be proactive." Mark turned to another officer "Get on the horn with Australia and Vietnam. Tell'em what we need." 

As Chen began keying in commands on the console, Mark pulled out his "work" phone. Scrolling through his contacts, he came upon the number he was looking for. He pressed call, and waited as it rang.

"Colonel? This is Doctor Russell."

"Doctor? I'm in the middle of something, so this had better be important."

"It is. How soon can you have the Argo airborne?"

A pause. Foster was mulling it over.

"Six hours if I can get Stenz to cut some corners. Is this in regards to the Miami attack?"

Mark sighed "Another bogey popped up. Similar appearance but airborne. Mothra and Rodan are boxing one in, but we can't catch this guy. Not without some help and Radon is in hibernation."

A sigh not too unlike Mark's echoed on the line.

"Let me see what I can do." Foster said.

"Thank you, Colonel." Mark replied, before hanging up. He turned back to Chen, who pressed a button to end a call of her own as she turned to face him.

"Australia has agreed to aid us. Vietnam has also supplied limited support to us, should the creature veer North." Chen reported.

Mark nodded "Good, we'll need them. Rick!"

The analyst took his headphones off and turn to face them "Yeah boss?"

"Are there any Titans near Australia other than Bunyip?" Mark asked.

"Lemme check…" Came the reply as Rick punched a few keys. His eyes scanned across the map, "Not that I can-SHIT!" 

"What?!" Chen asked as she darted over to his console.

"Titanosaurus is ten minutes from the ocean creature. Bearing down on it, real fast!"

"Aw hell." Mark exclaimed. 

"Godzilla has just passed the Galapagos Islands." Chen informed.

Mark sighed. While good news had come from Foster and the nations of Vietnam and Australia, bad news had come along with it.

Things were gonna get ugly.

\----------

Feed. 

Feed.

Feed.

All that was on the destroyer's mind was the need to consume more micro oxygen. Fortunately, it was headed in the right direction. The scent was getting stronger, and although it sensed another source getting closer, the Destroyer was hellbent on the meal awaiting it in Australia.

As it blazed a path across the South Pacific, it was not unaware of the flying Titan tailing it.

But it was unaware of Titanosaurus.

The reptilian Titan slammed into the Destroyer from underneath, breaking the shell like armor in multiple areas on its torso. Cracks rippled across the rest of the Destroyer's shell as it rolled deeper into the water. As it collected its bearings, Titanosaurus slammed into it again, knocking it further into the sea as they scratched and clawed at each other. 

Without the proper appendages to defend itself, the Destroyer could only tank the hits from Titanosaurus as the reptile deftly avoided the secondary mandibles within the Destroyer's mouth. Their massive frames crashed into an underwater reef, dazing Titanosaurus. The Destroyer saw an opportunity, and took it, darting away from Titanosaurus with surprising speed.

The reptile followed, eager to finish its prey.

\----------

"Course change confirmed." A technician reported to Rick.

"Where to? Fiji?" The scientist inquired.

The technician shook his head "No sir. North."

Rick paused and looked at the younger man "North?"

"Yes sir."

Rick looked to the map. A collision between the two Destroyers was inevitable now.

He turned on the intercom. "Doctor Russell to the command center. I say again, Doctor Russell to the command center."

\----------

"So you're leaving again."

"Elle…" Ford began, slapping a folded shirt into his bag "It's important. Plus, I'm still active. I have to follow orders. Even if I picked them."

"What do I tell Sam?" Elle asked, lip quivering.

Ford looked down at the pants in his hands. What was he supposed to say? He shook his head and looked Elle in the eyes.

"I don't know. But I will be back." He replied.

Elle clenched her hands into fists. "That's not good enough, Ford. I can't bear to see him learn how to drive, see him graduate…. I can't see any of that where you AREN'T there. You were supposed to retire. Settle down for good. No more danger or.. Or-"

"Elle." Ford interjected, calmly. Her eyes snapped to him, blazing.

"What?"

Ford laid the pants on the bed, and walked to his wife. Placing his hands on her shoulders, Ford smiled.

"I'm coming back. Last time. I promise."

Elle defused somewhat at that. She searched his face, looking for a tell, a giveaway that this was a lie. She couldn't find one.

"I love you." Elle said.

"I love you too." Ford replied.

With a kiss, Ford stepped back to his bag to finish packing. 

\----------

Alan Jonah boarded his chopper quietly, eyes surveying the horizon. Far off, in the Pacific, his creation and nature's interpretation of it were going to clash. The victor would not matter. He had unleashed his reckoning. The world would finally pay the price. Russell's be damned. His mission would finally be complete.

He smiled to himself as the chopper began to ascend. Ho Chi Minh city would be an excellent location to watch the world burn from.

All he had to do was wait.

\---------

Madison couldn't help but be in awe of the sheer scale of Castle Bravo as she stepped off the Ospreay. The MUTO head that was propped up nearby put the place into scale.

The man standing at the ramp did too.

Stepped forward, Madison looked at her father with a weary expression. 

"Dad."

Mark winced at the tone "Hey, Mad-"

"I'm not Maddie." Madison interjected. "If being little 'Maddie' requires you and Mom to release world ending monsters, then I'll stick to Madison."

She stomped off, aware that she didn't know where she was going. Away from him was good enough. Mark made to follow, but a voice over the intercom cut him off. 

"Doctor Russell to the Command Center. Doctor Russell to the Command Center."

Mark sighed. If it wasn't for the crisis on hand, he would try to talk to Madd- Madison. But right, now, he had to be Doctor Russell, not Dad.

He stepped up a different ramp, to an elevator. He hoped for a quick resolution. Then he chuckled.

Quick resolutions weren't possible.


	11. Rumble in the Surf, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Titanosaurus and the creature, now named Destroyah battle, the Argo preps to join the fight, and Madison works through her own personal battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWO CHAPTERS CLOSE TOGETHER? WHAT?
> 
> I'm in a groove, peeps. I've got more coming.

Ho Chi Minh City was well lit, even at night. It made the moving of supplies and personnel much easier and stealthier. Alan Jonah watched as more and more equipment was moved into his new command center, an old underground parking garage near the center of the city. Hiding in plain sight was a specialty of his operation. While the risk of a curious teenage finding them was high, their disappearance would be far more probable than a Monarch agent.

Another key factor in this location was the access to high rooftops, where communications equipment and transmitters could be set up with no one casting another glance.

In other words, it was the first time in many years that a city yielded a haven for Alan Jonah.

Asher had always hated cities.

Jonah clenched his fist, masking a wince at the intrusive thought. But he allowed himself to get caught up in the memory. Just this once.

Asher had been born in Brighton. However, around the time Ash had turned four or five, Jonah and Elizabeth had decided that a sheep ranch in Northern Scotland better suited the family. It was a humble life, and Asher had taken to it like a duck to water.

Jonah would often come home from work to the boy covered in mud and grime, sometimes a black eye from scrapping with the other brats at his school. But Jonah, being the dutiful father he was, willingly plucked the boy up, and brought him inside to wash up.

He missed those days.

Jonah gave his head a light shake, clearing it of those pleasant thoughts. That was another life, and he had a chance to save the world in this one.

He'd make it count, and see Asher when he finally made it home.

\----------

Madison Russell stared blankly at the screen. A picture of her mother stared back.

Emma Russell had always been a complicated woman. Her dad had always told her about how Emma meticulously planned her and Andrew's childhoods down to the cereal they ate. Their outfits, schooling, and routines were tailored to their attitudes. Their personalities. 

Emma had loved them dearly. She wasn't a strict mother by any means. Just very logical. She never seemed like the girl who grew up in Illinois. Instead, she always carried that Boston hustle, or the sophistication that supposedly came with living in San Francisco. Madison couldn't remember much of her childhood that wasn't in the concrete jungles of the East or West Coasts. The farm was always so distant. 

Emma had hid parts of herself from her and Andrew. Even from her own husband. The loss of Andrew, the chaos and the flames.. It brought out the worst in her. Drove her dad down the bottle. Madison had thought that Emma was the more fit parent.

She had been wrong. She regretted those precious days wasted on work, whether it be the ORCA or other Monarch duties. She wanted nothing more than one last chance to cook her mother a decent breakfast.

\----------

"Status?" Colonel Foster asked, stepping onto the Argo's bridge. At the question, Griffin turned to face her Commanding Officer.

"Yes Ma'am. The new weapons are loaded up. Engineering reports that we are clear for high altitude travel." Griffin reported "However, we aren't packing much in the way of ammo. The magazines aren't ready. We'll be limited."

Foster nodded "We'll be fine." 

The stomping of boots alerted Foster and Griffin to the arrival of Barnes and Martinez, who were taken aback by the new look of the Argo's bridge. The command center now featured less consoles than before, allowing more space to move. The lighter metals had been fazed out for darker steel. Light bars were inlined in the room's trim, reducing the number of lights in the overhead itself. The main screen could now be controlled directly from the tactical table, which was larger in its own right.

"Damn." Martinez said. "This place is bitchin'."

"Yeah, bitchin'." Barnes replied before facing Foster. "What do we got?"

Foster stepped up to the table, pressing a few keys. The screen came to life, sparking the appearance of a world map on the table. There were red dots with names next to them scattered across the map.

"Tiamat, Leviathan, Behemoth… what are we looking for, ma'am?" Barnes asked.

Foster gestured to a cluster of blips near Hawaii.

"Six Titans. Two unknowns, a new one, and the Big Three." She responded. "The new one, Titanosaurus, engaged one of the new contacts about an hour ago. The unknown is being forced north, towards the second unknown. The first unkn-"

"Hold up." Barnes said.

Foster shot a pointed at him.

"Why haven't we named em?" 

"What?" 

"Why haven't we named them yet? Unknown One and Unknown Two sounds kind of lame. I mean, the briefing said they came from the Oxygen Destroyer, right?"

"Yeah." Griffin replied hesitantly.

"So what about the Destroyers?" Barnes suggested.

Foster sighed. "We need to focus on-" 

"He's got a point, boss." Martinez Added.

Foster sighed, running a hand across her brow.

"Wait!" Barnes suddenly shouted.

"What?" Foster gritted through her teeth.

"What about Desotroyah?" 

Griffin shook her head, looking at Barnes.

"Has to be callout friendly. Plus the eggheads have to like it." She explained. Griffin took a breath, then continued, "Destroyah. Keeps an unnecessary syllable away from it, keeps it good enough for the eggheads, and we can call it out over comms and not mistake it for a widely used class of naval vessel."

Foster slammed her hand on the table, startling G-Team. They all looked at her with wide eyes. She met each startled gaze as she spoke three words.

"Destroyah. Is. Fine."

As the team prepared to celebrate their small victory, the sound of footsteps alerted them to an approaching crew member. As they turned to identify the individual, their collective gaze landed on a man in G-Team gear. He wore short cropped brown hair, with no beard and blue eyes. His gaze was sharp, analytical. A small scar was visible, on his right temple, running three inches down the side of his head. His gaze landed on Foster.

"Are you Colonel Foster?" He asked, tensing up.

"Yes. You must be Captain Brody." She responded, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Yes ma'am. I'm ready to work."

"Good." Foster said, walking back around the table. "Everybody, get acquainted and get your ears on me. We got work to do."

\----------

Godzilla was angry. To have been so easily stopped by that abomination was a personal affront to him. He stood as a vanguard of the natural order, which that creature had violated the moment it was born. That creature needed to die.

He picked up his pace, his mighty tail swinging back and forth. He focused on the swim, trying to get his mind right. He needed to focus on protecting his kingdom, not vengeance. One loss was acceptable. He had put the abomination on the run. Wounded it, even. But another loss wouldn't be acceptable. 

He could hear it now, the brawler from before was battling the abomination. He could hear Rodan and Mothra calling and coordinating. Then, another. He couldn't believe it.

Another abomination.

He bared his teeth and sped up even more. There would be no delay. 

There would be no mercy.

\----------

Madison was startled by a knock at her door. Shutting her book, she placed it on her pillow and approached the door. She took a breath, preparing to face her father, before opening the door.

Ilene Chen stood there instead.

"Doctor Chen!" Madison cheered, grinning wide as she hugged the Anthropologist.

"Hello, Madison. I hope I didn't disturb you?"

"No, you didn't. I was just doing some reading." Madison replied.

"Oh?" Chen inquired.

"Yeah. I figured I'd get a jump on Calculus before I got back to school. Hopefully it's still there after this." Madison finished.

Chen nodded at that. "It is good to stay on top of your studies. But I want to know how you are feeling."

Madison paused as she sat on her bed. She looked Chen in the eyes, gaze maintaining a false calm.

Chen knew she wasn't okay. 

"I'm a little tired from the flight…" She began truthfully. "But I'm okay otherwise."

"Really?" Chen asked.

Madison nodded. "Mmhm. Totally okay."

"Then why did Mark look absolutely heartbroken earlier?"

Madison winced.

"Shit." She muttered. She looked up at Chen, who had her hands on her hips. 

"Look. I get that he has this whole saving the world thing going on. But you HAVE to remember what he did. He set Ghidorah loose to save me. He did what MOM did. How does that make him any better than her? Circumstance? One of me isn't worth billions of people."

Chen sighed and shook her head.

"Mark didn't do it based on statistics or circumstance. He did it for the same reason your mother did. He loved you." Chen began. "But he didn't have a choice. Emma could have made the world better for you without unleashing the Titans. Mark couldn't save you without setting Ghidorah free. He had to give Jonah the ORCA so that you could have a chance. He told me everything." 

"Really?" Madison asked.

"Yes. After Vegas, and your departure, Mark nearly relapsed. In fact, he did. After two days we locked all the liquor cabinets. Forced him to stay sober. But he needed to vent. A shoulder to cry on. I provided that. He is my friend." Chen finished.

Then, she asked one more question.

"Why wouldn't he tell me?" 

Madison disregarded the question. 

"Thank you, Chen. We should hang out more."

Chen's response was immediate.

"Don't run from the things people do for you. Even if they are wrong. Stand your ground, and learn why. Mark never wanted to hurt anyone. His whole world was on the line. He made a call. If you want to hang out more, then understand that after what he's been through, your life and his will be filled with more decisions like that." She took a breath. "That's family, Madison."

With a grin and a wave, Chen turned and left, leaving Madison to mull over her words.

\----------

Titanosaurus nipped at the tail of Destroyah as it continued to evade him. He wouldn't let the fight get away. After his loss, he needed a rebound. Craved it. So he pursued the creature.

All too late did he notice the oncoming beam pierce the water. 

A purple beam of energy lanced through Titanosaurus' shoulder, instantly cauterizing the wound and throwing the aquatic being off balanced. Taking advantage of this, Destroyah whipped around and slammed into him. A larger mass crashed into the water, grabbing both of them on the way down. 

Destroyah and the new arrival immediately tangled with each other, biting and clawing each other as their molecules fused together. Atoms splicing other atoms, creating subatomic reactions, fusing cells and organs. As the two beings plunged deeper and deeper, Titanosaurus took the opportunity to leave. Two losses wouldn't go unanswered.

Above the water, Mothra and Rodan could only circle the calm waves, wondering what awaited them beneath.


	12. Rumble in the Surf, Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Rodan and Mothra engage Destroyah, help arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions in the comments. One per person. 
> 
> QnA time baby!

Beneath the Pacific, it awakened. Gold eyes pierced the black as the feeling returned to its body. It felt… Larger. Stronger. The effort it took to move its head was far greater, its tail longer. Wings now sprouted from its back. They were large, more than large enough to carry its weight. Above, it smelled others. One warm, the other radiant. It mattered not, for they would die all the same.

With a sinister, wheezing screech, Destroyah surged towards the surface, with every intent to kill everything it saw.

\----------

Rodan continued his circle around the site where the creature had gone under. His incredible eyes pierced the blue as far as light allowed, but no farther. All three beings had sunk into the black, well beyond his sight. He listened for any new calls or any sign that those creatures could be on the move. But he heard nothing, and saw as much.

But then the most demonic sound pierced his heart. It was a screech, as though an animal was being slaughtered, mixed with a wheeze that even made Rodan feel as though he could not breathe.

And it came from below.

As Rodan tracked his gaze down to the water directly beneath him, at first seeing nothing. Then, two golden orbs broke through the black, and a massive Crimson frame followed. It was gigantic, easily larger than Godzilla himself. To make matters worse, it was moving fast.

Very fast.

Rodan banked to his right, avoiding Destroyah as the beast rocketed out of the water, flapping its massive wings to give itself lift. As it maintained its new altitude, Destroyah banked to follow Rodan, a demonic howl sounding from his maw as he chased Rodan. The Fire Demon increased his altitude, gaining speed on the heavier creature, but Destroyah remained on his tail.

Destroyah let out a roar before firing a beam of purple energy from his mouth. Rodan dropped to avoid the beam, flapping his wings to regain his airspeed before rocketing ahead of Destroyah. As he continued to build speed, Destroyah heard a call.

Then he felt an impact as he was suddenly thrust out of control, the battle cry of Mothra echoing over the ocean as both creatures regained their composure. The Queen was the first to attack, launching at Destroyah and firing several shots of webbing at his face. As the shots traveled, Destroyah fired a beam of his own, incinerating the shots and forcing Mothra to roll up and over the beam as she advanced, stinger at the ready.

But Destroyah caught her, pronged arms wrapping around her as he thrust his body out of the way of the stinger. He spun his frame, placing Mothra underneath him as he plunged towards the water, intent on removing her mobility.

He felt two sets of talons sink into his back as a mighty call sounded from Rodan, who lifted Destroyah, and by extension Mothra, away from the waves. His strength was waning fast, and he desperately called for Mothra to do something.

The Queen responded by activating her God Rays.

The blinding light and powerful burst of kinetic energy forced Rodan to let go as Destroyah was thrust away from them, landing in the waves. Mothra's brightness, matching the Sun, blinded the demonic creature as it sank into the black, leaving the waves behind.

As the two prepared to circle the area more, a powerful call echoed. It was close. Very close.

Godzilla had arrived.

\----------

Beneath the sea, Destroyah spun and churned as it worked to regain its sight, eyes irritated by the intensity of Mothra's god rays. The blindness was fading, eyesight slowly returning. But Destroyah could still see that cursed glow, even when looking into the sea. 

Then the light flickered. Then disappeared. As it did, a strange sound reverberated through the deep. Then it returned, the sound booming in Destroyah's ears as the glow assumed a blue glow. Two glowing blue orbs drifted out in front of the light. Destroyah focused on then, watching as the glow drifted closer, sound booming with each flash. Then a growl pierced the sea.

Destroyah watched as Godzilla exited the darkness, entering the range of his low light vision. The massive reptile showed no sign of their previous engagement, aside from the rather pissed off look on the King's face.

Godzilla growled as he flashed his spines once more. The dorsal plates glowed near white as he built and maintained energy stores within them, keeping those stores at an acceptable temperature. He roared, low and long at Destroyah. It wasn't a warning, but a condemnation. Destroyah would die.

But the spawn of the Oxygen Destroyer felt no fear. Only rage.

They charged at the same time.

The titanic forces collided. A shockwave exploded from them, with enough force to splash the water on the surface. Godzilla grappled, using his strength and mobility to pull at the creature, trying to gain an edge on the larger being. But Destroyah pulled much harder, forcing Godzilla down and clawing at his neck and shoulders. The King swung his body out wide, bringing his tail to bare on Destroyah's chest. With a great effort, and a mighty swing, the tail connected in devastating fashion, cracking Destroyah's sternum. The abomination drifted back, charging up a beam as it evaluated its target 

Destroyah fired, grazing Godzilla's side as the King ignored the pain, charging forward, and clamping his mighty jaws shut on Destroyah's collar. Blood erupted as a crunch sounded, dying the water green. Destroyah cried out in pain and made its best version of a fist, as all three of his fingers came together to form a sharp cone.

He then thrust it forward, stabbing through hide as his hand buried itself in Godzilla's muscle tissue, in his abdomen. The King released his grip with a roar of fury, pain, and confusion as Destroyah was shoved back with Godzilla's own hands. The abomination watched as Godzilla's back began to glow blue, a sharp contrast to the Red and Green Dyed water. 

Godzilla released his atomic energies in a straight shot, hitting Destroyah in the sternum. The being howled in agony as its wounds were amplified, and it cried out before exploding a burst of steam and churned water.

When the disturbance cleared, nothing remained.

Godzilla growled, in pain, and in satisfaction before drifting to the surface. As he broke the surface, Rodan and Mothra approached, inquiring about the events that transpired beneath the waves. Godzilla merely informed them that the threat was gone, and that he would be heading to his old lair to recuperate. He then roared in victory, and distantly, he heard the acknowledgements from the other Titans. 

He dove beneath the waves, heading towards home. All the while, in the cloud of blood, Destroyah remained.

Reduced to microorganisms, the being saw all of the defenseless blood floating around. It began to consume, and fuse and reconstitute itself, fueling itself off of its opponents lost fluids.

Soon, it would be big enough to eat fish. Then whales. 

Then Titans.

There was no rest for the wicked.

\----------

"No signature? Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Look." Rick replied, gesturing to the radiation meter "Godzilla and Mothra both let off. There was a real spike a minute ago, and then Destroyah disappeared."

Mark's brows furrowed "So Godzilla killed it?"

"Maybe." Rick replied.

"We should send a team." Pavlov interjected "We need samples. Destroyah was an anomaly. It didn't need oxygen to live. There could be serious potential for a scientific breakthrough."

"I concur." Rick said "That thing is a gold mine if we can get our hands on it. The data from it could create new… well… lots of new things."

Mark nodded, stepping away from Rick.

"I'll contact the Argo, give them the stand down. Then I'll reach out to a few old friends, see if we can't collect a few samples."

"I can handle that!" Came a voice. Mark spun and saw Sam Coleman standing at the door.

"I just got back from Langley, so I'm eager to put something together that IS NOT a packet detailing Titan tracking technology." He finished.

Mark stepped forward and gave the man a light hug.

"Good to see you, buddy. You've been gone a week now." 

"Well yeah. The President was very specific and the fact that a partisan bill was rocketed through Congress with no votes against… put it on me to not screw up the biggest step forward with the Government since they defunded us."

"Good." Mark replied "With that handled… I suppose I ought get som-"

"You mean talk to Madison?" Rick said "It's the right time, man. Do it before the debriefing."

Mark sighed. Rick had him there. He needed to sit down and talk to Madison. He needed to explain everything, because he knew that without a very through explanation, the genetic stubbornness passed from Emma to Madison would kick in and she would lock him out. He couldn't afford to lose her too. After Andrew and Emma, Madison was his last direct family member. His Uncle had also died in San Francisco, and his father not too long before. 

Madison was it. She was blood, and right now that meant everything to him.

With a steadying breath, Mark headed for her quarters.


	13. Respite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Destroyah subdued, Godzilla returns to his lair. Rick, Sam, and Valentina evaluate recent events. Mark and Madison have a long overdue chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is the LONGEST in the series by far. Over 2,000 words. That isn't much to most, but for me, it's a lot.

Alan Jonah paced around his makeshift command center, mind working overtime as he began to formulate his next plan to reassert nature over man. He was clenching and unclenching his fists so much that his hands were cramping. He was positively fuming to say the least. The Destroyer was supposed to be the one to save the planet, to save them all.

But it didn't.

Godzilla and his band of minions had absolutely crushed it in the Pacific. The combination of both Destroyers was unexpected, but more so was its defeat. Especially after Godzilla had actually been subdued in Panama.

This loss was bitter compared to the losses he had taken before. Ghidorah had failed TWICE for God's sake. 

He sighed at that. The three headed beast was the closest they had come. The Destroyer hadn't inherited that same determination or drive. It had been hellbent on consuming micro-oxygen, other life forms, and in particular, it's nature-born counterpart. It had inherited more instinct than hate, unlike Ghidorah.

So Jonah now had to take stock. They had a handful of samples from Ghidorah, Leviathan, and the Destroyer left over. They could easily sell the Leviathan material to fund another regeneration program. They had the biologists, and the microbiologists. They just needed more sustenance. Proteins. 

But even then, how to mix the genetic cocktail? They now had a Destroyer sample, technically a mutt but still a pureblood first of its species. Ghidorah samples were in short supply these days, so Jonah knew he had to be stingy with the use of them. He bit his lip and cast an eye to his recovery team. He could send out a crew to the site of the battle. It would take close to a week, but they could procure a sample of the natural Destroyer, and as such, grant themselves a new genetic template. After all, Nature could do it better, it seemed.

Jonah nodded to himself and approached the recovery team. Fiona Spengler was the chief of recovery ops, and a damn good one at that. Capable, smart, and cunning, he knew she could get the job done. Her crew was the best, and he paid them as such. 

It was time for them to earn the paycheck. 

\----------

Sam and Valentina chatted idly as Rick strolled into the executive lounge, coffee mug in hand. Rick had always liked the lounge. It had a beautiful view of the ocean floor. The way the jagged rocks raised out of the Earth like monolithic echoes of the past just enthralled him. He didn't have to guess as to whether or not Godzilla got bored of it all. He had a feeling Big-G had been there when these mountains formed. Which said a lot. Godzilla looked pretty good for 200 million years old. 

Rick chuckled and made his way to a single seat near the coffee table. Things had slowed down a good bit in the three days since Destroyah bit the dust in the Pacific. What had made the whole thing better was Mark's summary of the debriefing. While Monarch hadn't gotten a pat on the back, they hadn't gotten a slap on the wrist. Given Sam's recent technology briefings in Langley and San Diego, it seemed like the U.S Government was opening up to the idea of funding Monarch again. It was a miracle they hadn't been shut down outright.

"Rick?" 

Rick jumped at the voice, obviously deep in thought.

"Sorry." The older man said. "I was just thinking." He frowned, then looked at Sam "We handled this one pretty well, didn't we?"

Sam's own brow furrowed at that question. He had heard about it on the news, given Monarch's newfound transparency. He supposed they had. For a Titan reawakening, the death toll had been significantly lower than either of Ghidorah's attacks. Simply put, it was a good day at the office, but it could have been better.

"Yeah. I suppose we did. The damage cost was relatively low, at least on the scale of Titan damage. We can always aim to lower the casualty count, and our armed response was pretty lame. But all things considered? We didn't handle things too bad." Sam said, before turning to Valentina "What about you? What's your take?"

At the question, Valentina scoffed. 

"What do you mean? I was not here for the last event." Pavlov began. She sipped her coffee, then continued, "In fact, my experience with Monarch has been limited to the past six years of research far removed from you and the main operation. Outpost 95 was my first major assignment after the brief stint I did at 75. Mokele-Mbembe is a different creature than Ghidorah or the… what, Destroyah?"

Rick raised a hand, and asked a pointed question.

"Didn't they call him M&M on site?" 

Valentina chuckled.

"I cannot confirm nor deny that." She replied. 

After a moment, Rick looked around the room, as if searching for someone. 

"Where are Ilene and Mark?" He asked.

Sam shrugged "I don't know where Doctor Chen is, but I know Mark got back on course for Madison's quarters after he got sidetracked for the debrief." 

Valentina nodded, and Rick let out a low whistle.

"Can't be easy for him. I don't envy that guy one bit right now." The bioacoustics analyst stated.

Quite frankly, none of them did.

\----------

With his hand raised to knock on the door, Mark was almost floored by the gravity of the discussion that he was about to have with Madison. The situation, in reality, was largely screwed up anyhow. Madison and him had entered this weird flux of needing to reach out to the other and wanting nothing to do with each other. Which posed the biggest question:

What state was he in?

He knew Madison likely wanted nothing to do with him. He was well aware that despite the difference in circumstances, he was no better than Emma in her eyes. Even as misguided as Emma had been, Madison had still been a large part of the reason she had signed on with Jonah. So Mark knew not to ask about Madison's state of mind. He knew the basics.

Mark wondered about his own thoughts on the matter. At times he felt as though he should have listened to Madison, and just not let Ghidorah go free. He had known there would have been casualties, yet he chose his daughter over humanity. He also had days where he felt and truly believed that if he were in that situation again, he would make the same choice again. 

Right now, he just wasn't sure. 

So he knocked anyway. He had to try. 

The door opened immediately, but hesitantly. Madison gazed back at him with uncertain eyes. There was longing buried behind anger and apprehension. Her posture was leaning more toward flight than fight. If they were going to get through this, then he had to be direct, and open. 

"Can we talk about what happened?" He asked.

She stared at him a moment longer, and he could see her putting those walls up. After that tense moment, she stepped aside and pulled the door open, granting Mark entry into the room. 

As he entered, he immediately noticed that she had unpacked her knick-knacks bag. Her small trinkets from a childhood of misadventures across the country had led to her building an impressive collection of memories. He wondered where it had been after Outpost 61 had gone under, but only assumed that the evidence team had picked her room clean. Would have been easy to get it all back, especially in the brief time Madison spent on base after Vegas. Rick probably helped her steal it.

He noticed a new addition, a broken audio jack, not unlike one that you would see on a set of wired earbuds or headphones. He wondered what significance this held. So he decided to stay with the direct approach and just ask.

"Where'd you get this?" He asked.

Madison studied him blankly. She had closed the door and was still positioned by it. Her eyes fluttered over to the trinket, then back to Mark.

"Fenway." She replied. 

Mark nodded and looked back to the jack for a moment, before nodding.

"I'm proud of you, Madison."

Her brows furrowed. 

"For the stunt at Fenway?"

Mark shrugged. 

"For all of it, honey." He started. He took a deep breath and faced her completely, making direct eye contact with her. "You held your mother accountable, even though you loved her. You loved her after San Francisco, and after Boston. But you never forgot what she did. You always speak about it and you actually acknowledge that what she did, regardless of her reasons regarding you or the planet…. You get it better than I do most of the time." 

He takes a shaky breath. 

"You're holding me accountable too. I get it. As much as it hurts, it took me seeing that little trinket to get it. That you are one hundred percent selfless. When your mother did what she did, there was a part of her that was more invested in her self interest than you or the planet. When I did what I did, I guess I did it more to spare myself the pain of losing you than actually saving you. I didn't think about the world. The attack on Denver still haunts me. That was ME, Madison. I can never undo that. But, I can be very proud that you always think of the greater good."

Mark wiped his eyes and gave her a loose smile.

"Your mom would be so proud of you. Andrew too." He finished.

Madison stared at the man in front of her, her gaze was unreadable now, but Mark could see that her shields had lowered. She stepped forward, voice shaking as she began to speak. 

"I've spent a long time thinking that maybe you're selfish. That Mom was selfish. I get that you might feel that you are, and maybe you're right. But you had to watch me suffer. You had to watch me endure suffering that still keeps me up at night. I love you, Dad. But I need to know if you'll have my wishes at heart when it comes to my life versus the lives of everyone else. I can't let anymore blood be shed on my behalf. I can't let the body count keep getting higher just because I'm in danger. I need to know that if it's me or everyone else, that you'll pick everyone else."

Mark's eyes widened a bit.

"Madison I can't promise that."

"Yes, you can." She replied.

Mark shook his head.

"If I let you die, even if you wished it, I would never be able to live with myself. Ever. You're the last family that I have left."

"Then make this easy for me!" Madison bit back "I'm tired of you treating me like a kid! I'm three weeks away from being a 16 year old! Kids my age would be getting their first car and worrying about boys and stuff and that is NOT me. I'm in a highly secure base under the ocean, doing research on giant monsters. I'm not normal, and I'm not some kid." She steps forward, almost into Mark's arm reach.

She bites out her next words through clenched teeth. 

"I have proven I am more than mature enough for you to respect my request. But you're right. You're selfish. Honestly, I don't know what else I expected."

Mark reeled at those words. She had turned an admission on his part on his head and he didn't know what to feel. Rejection? Anger? He shook his head. This wasn't the time to push anything now.

He wordlessly stood and left, wondering what he had done wrong.

But the fuming young woman in the center of the room was wondering what she had done wrong as well.

\----------

As Godzilla came to a rest in the ruins of his lair, he examined the wound in his abdomen. The wound had clotted nicely and he could already feel the surplus radiation relieving the pain in his bones. That creature had proven itself a capable fighter, above and below the waves. Its strength had been expected, but the ability had caught him off guard.

The good news was that Mothra and Rodan were still in shape to keep things in order up top. Godzilla himself wasn't as far off as last year. A week at most and he would be in the sea again. All things considered, the world was safe again.

With as much of a content smile as he could muster, Godzilla drifted off to sleep, Mothra's lullaby far above guiding him to the land of rest.

\----------

Destroyah remained scattered across hundreds of thousands of creatures no larger than a few inches as they quietly swam across the Pacific. The air was drier and the land mass they neared had a huge concentration of humans, and micro oxygen was within reach here.

Down under, the world was unaware of trouble brewing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to test myself and do a human heavy, dialogue oriented chapter. I don't ordinarily do them, so it was really interesting to see how it would pan out.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, especially because I wanna know how this turned out in your opinions!


	14. UPDATE

Hey everybody, Mech here. It's been minute, hasn't it? Life caught up with me in a few good ways, so I'm just finishing up getting sorted. Also, I have told you lads that I would not upload a chapter if I wasn't a fan of it myself. 

Its coming though. I intend to finish this story before the end of the year. There's 12 Full Chapters to go. 

So to thank you for your patience, here is a sample of Chapter 14, which will be out September 10th.

\---FSID---

"What? How?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. What matters is that we need to leave. NOW." Captain Gomez stated, before turning to his comms officer "Maxwell I need Castle Bravo on the horn now!"

The Scorpion turned hard to port, avoiding a massive, deformed red claw that erupted from the cloud. As the sub propelled itself away, to golden eyes opened, and for the first time in days, Destroyah had sight.

\---FSID---

Again, thank you for your patience. On September 10th, you will be rewarded.

Love y'all. 

-M


	15. Samples and Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Monarch sends the Scorpion to collect samples.

The USS Scorpion was one of Monarch's most advanced assets. Although on loan from the United States Government, the crew of the submarine had become close with the scientists and personnel at Castle Bravo. In that regard, Captain Gomez was the odd man out.

Having been transferred in to replace the previous captain, Gomez was acutely aware of how the crew looked at him. How they talked to him. The camaraderie wasn't there. He understood that things took time, but he also looked past the crew and found the same results elsewhere in Castle Bravo.

Doctor Mark Russell was a typically standoffish guy. Gomez knew that building a working relationship with him would be easy, but a personal one much more difficult.

Doctors Chen, Stanton, and Pavlov were all polite. Stanton was mildly more welcoming to Gomez than others whilst Chen is more reserved in her gestures. She had shown him around and such, but not with the pomp and circumstance Gomez had expected out of a scientist.

Sam Coleman was another creature entirely. He had essentially designed the Scorpion and was very proud of his work in that regard. He could also be a nervous person, a fast talker, or both.

Right now, he was both.

"Also! Remember that any residual energy left over from Destroyah's beam could partially erode the hull. You should take-"

"Coleman." Gomez said, cutting off the younger man.

"Yeah?"

With a sigh, Gomez looked Sam straight in the eyes "Is there anything you need me to know that was NOT in the briefing packet I've been going over?"

"Uh… I thought that we should just go back over it. To be sure." Sam nervously replied.

"Okay. Coleman, I appreciate the caution and the effort. But I trust my crew, and I trust you'll contact us if anything changes. You designed this sub. It's a simple grab and go so stop being worried."

Sam felt a nervous smile break on his face as he replied "Yeah- I mean Yes. Yes Sir."

With a nod, Gomez turned and walked down the gangplank towards the sub. It wasn't out of the ordinary for Coleman or even Doctor Russell to be on the side of cautious. However, this was no ordinary mission. Being tasked with using sophisticated and at times unheard of technology to procure biological samples from a creature that could eat his entire sub, crew and all, in one bite…. That wasn't exactly on the pamphlets the Navy gave out.

He knew it wasn't a bad thing to feel fear. But the shiver that ran down his spine, the tightness in his throat…. It screamed to his most primal instincts. It screamed "Turn and Run."

But Gomez was a Navy man. Running towards danger wasn't just a job. It was a specialty.

\----------

Fiona Spengler was a natural born scientist. Chemistry was easy. Astronomy was a breeze. Engineering? Cakewalk.

Collecting samples from a Titan? She was going to do this in her sleep.

Jonah's plan was straight forward. Take the research boat they had recently acquired out, lower the sub in, cruise to the depth of the battle and flood the large airtight container on the sub. Then surface. In and out, it would take no more than an hour. Two tops, if she accounted for any Titans or Monarch vessels in the area.

But the sub had been equipped with a slew of weapons. Torpedos included. Fiona had no doubt that they would accomplish the mission. The real question was about how much havoc they would cause. Some of the crew, herself included, hoped Monarch was out here. The idea of Monarch discovering that Jonah was involved with the Destroyer and feeling powerless gave her a jolt of excitement. To know that they could meddle with Titan DNA opened up endless opportunity. Endless profit. 

The world had to be set right, though. That required the genetic material they were about to retrieve.

As the research boat, the Belladonna, sailed towards the scene of the fight, Fiona could feel the winds of change. 

They were blowing her way.

\----------

"So she is still mad at you?"

Mark Russell cast a glance at Ilene Chen, before eyeing the coffee mug in front of him.

"Yeah." He responded before taking a sip. As he lowered it, he looked at Chen "But now I know exactly why. She doesn't want me to hold her life above any other. She doesn't want me to save her over humanity. To be honest-" Mark paused to take another sip, before sighing and lowering the mug "I don't think I'll ever NOT pick her."

As Mark set the mug back on the table, Chen simply watched Mark's eyes. The man had known pain for a long time. His shoulders no longer held high with tension. They were lower, as though a burden rested upon them. As a mother, Chen had always worried about being weighted with such an issue. She cared for her daughters greatly, but that fear had faded after her husband had agreed to take the kids. But now it was back, and had settled in her stomach like a two-ton stone.

Mark did not deserve that feeling. 

Chen sipped her own tea, and gauged the man. He looked even more tired than usual. She wanted to ask him about how Madison truly felt, but decided not to.

"You should get some rest, Mark. I can watch things up top." She said.

His eyes met hers as he tried to feign alertness. 

"No, No I can han-"

"Mark." Chen spoke with force. "Rest."

Mark watched Chen for a moment, then nodded. 

"Okay." He replied "But at the first sign of trouble, you come get me." 

Chen nodded, and Mark departed for his quarters. With a deep breath, she waited a moment, before getting up and heading to the command center. There was a retrieval mission to coordinate.

\----------

Valentina Pavlov squinted as she guided the drone to the cloud of matter that once comprised Destroyah. The violet haze occasionally sparked, a sign of micro-oxygen fission. A sign of life. Over her shoulder, watching the collection operation was Captain Gomez. 

Gomez didn't quite understand the scientific magnitude of this mission. It wasn't totally beyond him… he had a great understanding of biology. But in the scheme of things, this operation felt off. Wrong. The timing didn't sit quite right with him. 

A light briefly illuminated the cloud, drawing Gomez from his thoughts. That light wasn't from the cloud.

"Captain." 

"I see it."

Another submarine. It was smaller, and quickly turning to leave the scene. A logo was briefly visible, lit up by the Scorpion.

A Talon.

"Contact Castle Bravo" Gomez began "Inform them that we have confirmation of Alan Jonah's operations in the AO. We need sonar tracking in a westward direction."

"Aye Sir." A technician spoke.

Gomez turned his eyes to the cloud, mind racing. Alan Jonah collecting blood is not a good sign. But he had a primary objective to complete.

"Begin sample collection." He ordered.

"Deploying drones." Pavlov spoke. 

"As soon as you are done, we exfiltrate. I am not sticking around."

"This operation re-"

"REQUIRES that we be quick about it. Monarch needs this mission to be an in and out job."

A sigh of frustration sounded from his right. He did not bother to look. 

It was already a long trip.

\----------

Godzilla swam across the Atlantic, no destination in mind. The Abomination was no more, and he had not seen any signs that the Intruder had returned again. The Kingdom was quiet, save for the occasional lack of communication with the stormy island. 

There was peace. Balance.

So why did his blood feel like it was boiling?

He had felt it ever since the fight with the Abomination. His limbs felt somewhat heavy, his vision unfocused. Maybe he was just unrested?

Either way, it was a colossal shock to the Moroccan Government when Godzilla, the King of the Monsters, ran ashore and fell unconscious, foaming at the mouth.

\----------

Mark stormed into the Command Center, eyes wide.

"You called?" He asked.

Rick turned, lowering his headphones as Chen and Sam looked him in the eyes.

"Godzilla is sick."


End file.
